Allegations of Forced Pushbacks by Greek Police Involving Migrants
Investigations uncover claims that Greek police have enlisted migrants to forcibly push back others across the Turkey-Greece border, raising serious human rights concerns.
Police in Greece have reportedly been recruiting migrants to violently push other migrants back across its land border with Turkey, according to an investigation by the BBC.
Internal police documents reveal that the recruitment of these so-called mercenaries was ordered and overseen by senior officers. Witnesses have described incidents of extreme brutality, including migrants being stripped, robbed, beaten, and sexually assaulted. These alarming practices have allegedly been occurring since at least 2020.
During an interview with the BBC, the Greek prime minister stated he was “totally unaware” of these activities, while official authorities have not responded to requests for comment.
Pushback operations, where migrants and asylum seekers are forcibly returned across borders without due process, contravene international law.
Similar allegations involving masked assailants operating on Greece’s borders had been reported by Lighthouse Reports.
The BBC's investigation was triggered in response to disturbing video footage indicating mistreatment by alleged mercenaries on the border. Eyewitness accounts from both migrants and former mercenaries corroborate reports of violence and abuse, including one case where a migrant reported that masked individuals removed her child’s diaper in a search for valuables.
A senior police source indicated that as many as hundreds of people are being pushed back each week with the use of mercenaries, who are themselves migrants from countries like Pakistan, Syria, and Afghanistan.
This border region, near the Evros River, has seen over a million migrant arrivals since 2015. It serves as the outer edge of the European Union, featuring a heavily militarized presence designed to deter illegal crossings.
Eyewitness accounts include details of aggressive tactics employed by mercenaries, including beating fellow migrants until they faint and threatening them with sexual violence.
Claims of systemic abuses raise significant human rights concerns. Maria Gavouneli, head of Greece's National Commission for Human Rights, stated that the findings represent an “extremely significant” abuse of rights.
The Greek government continues to assert that it is acting within the bounds of law, while Frontex refuted any implication of overlooking rights violations, stating it aims to ensure lawfully managed borders.
These revelations demand international attention and action to protect the rights of vulnerable migrants who have fled oppressive conditions in their home countries.
