Pushbacks in the Aegean? – Serious allegations against Greek Coast Guard – News

According to media reports, three people are said to have been thrown into the sea. Two have drowned.

What happened? Der Spiegel and The Guardian reported that last September Greek border guards put migrants who had already reached the Greek island of Samos back onto boats and later threw them into the sea. The reports are based on statements by eyewitnesses. And: “This time even Greek coastguards are quoted anonymously,” says Athens-based freelance journalist Rodothea Seralidou.

How credible are these reports? It is a large-scale research into pushbacks in the Aegean, says Seralidou. In addition to the “Spiegel” and the “Guardian”, the investigative portals “Lighthouse Reports” and “Mediapart” also worked on it. The bottom line of the new reports is that the Greek Coast Guard is said not only to have pushed people back into Turkish waters or abandoned them in a boat on the open sea, as previous reports have shown.

This time the accusation is that people were even thrown into the sea. “It’s reputable media and institutions that wouldn’t publish something like this without proof,” says the journalist. “I think the reports are credible.”

How many people are said to have been affected? According to the “Spiegel” two men drowned in the action described. One of them came from Ivory Coast and the other from Cameroon. A third man, also from Cameroon, was thrown into the sea and managed to save himself because he could swim. That’s how he reached the Turkish coast. He spoke to the journalists who wrote the reports.

What do the Greek authorities say about this? Such reports are the result of Turkish disinformation, said Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis on Thursday evening. “Turkey’s illegal migration propaganda leads to frequent false stories appearing in the media.” Greece protects the EU’s external borders in full compliance with international law. Greece sent a media release that also included links to Turkish Coast Guard videos.

How credible are the Turkish Coast Guard’s reports that they are rescuing people from the sea who have been turned back by the Greek Coast Guard? The journalist Seralidou says: «It is credible that the Turks are rescuing people from the sea who have been sent back. There are also photos and videos of these actions and countless eyewitnesses and survivors.” These people described exactly this fact.

What are the Greek authorities doing? Migration Minister Mitarakis said there were independent investigations into such allegations on the Greek side. However, the authors of such reports would not provide the requested details and evidence to the authorities, making it difficult for them to examine them.