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Push-backs to Turkey: Greece should have illegally deported 60,000 migrants

2019-11-13T20:55:58.933Z


Human rights activists and Turkey accuse Greece of illegally deporting migrants and refugees. Turkish documents, which are available to SPIEGEL, should prove the allegations.



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On 3 November 2019, the Turkish police attacked 252 migrants near the Kapikule border crossing. After that, she will make a controversial note: the migrants have made it over the border to Greece, the Turkish officials write later in their report. But then they were returned against their will, with no chance of seeking asylum.

"Push-backs" are the name given to these illegal repatriations of migrants and refugees. They are prohibited under European and international law. This requires states to grant potential asylum seekers access to an effective asylum procedure.

For years, human rights organizations and lawyers have accused Greek authorities of illegally deporting migrants at the border river to Evros. The SPIEGEL has now received Turkish documents, including the police records of the incident on 3 November. These suggest that Greece is conducting large-scale illegal push-backs on the border with Turkey.

Hard accusations against Greece

Turkey and Greece have long been in the grip of migration policy. In early November, the conflict between the arch rivals reached a new peak: the Turkish foreign ministry accused the Greek authorities of arresting, defeating, robbing their clothes, confiscating their belongings and taking them to the country Sent back to Turkey. "We have photos and documents," the ministry added.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reacted briefly. "Those who took advantage of the refugee crisis by using the persecuted as a plaything for their own geopolitical goals should be more cautious when referring to Greece."

Increase in numbers of refugeesHow Greece wants to save the refugee pact

More than 58,000 push-backs in a year

The Turkish material includes case reports and interview protocols. In addition, photos that allegedly show migrants who were mistreated by Greek authorities. It contains previously unpublished data compiled by the Turkish Ministry of the Interior.

According to these data, Greece has returned a total of 58,283 migrants in the 12 months prior to 1 November 2019. Most of the cases registered were Pakistani nationals (16,435), followed by Afghans, Somalis, Bangladeshis and Algerians. There are also more than 4,500 Syrians.

According to the document, the number of reported push-backs alone exceeded 6,500 in October. The documents are not a definitive proof, the allegations of migrants can not be independently verified. And Greece denies the allegations. However, they agree with similar reports from human rights organizations. The amount of testimonies exacerbates the doubts about the Greek innocent protestations.

According to Turkish sources, the asylum-seekers arrested on 3 November were later questioned by the Turkish police and taken to a detention center in Edirne, about 10 kilometers from the border. All except the Syrians would be sent back to their countries of origin, a Turkish official said. The Syrians would be returned to the Turkish place where they first registered.

Robbed, imprisoned, brought back: the story of a Syrian

One of the eight Syrians arrested by the Turkish police on 3 November claims to have fled Aleppo with his wife four years earlier. This is how the transcript of the interview emerges. First, the law graduate worked as a cashier in Istanbul. Then he decided "for economic reasons" to go to Greece.

With a smuggler, the Syrian crossed the border, in the Greek city of Alexandroupolis, finally, he and his wife put themselves before the police to seek asylum. Instead, however, her possessions were confiscated and she herself was put in a cell. According to an interview copy, the two Syrians were returned two days later by the Greek police together with other migrants.

14 policemen allegedly accompanied the group to the river Evros, marking the natural border between the two countries on 150 kilometers. Subsequently, two police officers had the pair in a boat back to the Turkish side promoted.

More recently, migrants have been brought back after crossing the Evros by boat, according to the report by the Turkish authorities. For example, Edirne's Governor, in a letter dated 29 October to the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, stated that between January and the end of September, 91,681 illegal immigrants had been arrested in his province.

This is a dramatic increase compared to the nearly 30,000 arrested in 2016. According to the Turkish authorities, more than 55 percent of the arrested migrants said they had made it to Greece, but still returned.

The figure reflects the increased pressure at the external borders of Europe. Since early summer, the number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands in the Aegean has been increasing. In recent months, significantly more migrants are trying to cross Evros illegally. According to data from the UNHCR, more than 18,000 migrants to the EU arrived in the EU in 2018, an increase of 173 per cent compared to 2017.

The crossing of the torrential border river is dangerous, again and again it ends fatally. But the route also has advantages: those who make it unrecognized across the river, is not as in the Greek Aegean Islands inhuman conditions in a camp penned. In addition, the region is much closer to the Balkan route, which leads from northern Greece to central and northern Europe and is being used again.

Doctor in Greek refugee camp "A doctor who decides on thousands of refugees - that's me"

The Greek authorities reject the Turkish accusations. There are no push-backs, said a spokesman for the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection on request. So far, Greek authorities have reviewed only a few of the complaints - and found no evidence of misconduct.

However, not only Turkish authorities speak of systematic illegal deportations: Human rights activists accuse Greece and other European states at the external border for years push backs and document these. Also in the Greek and international press is repeatedly reported on individual incidents (read here a SPIEGEL report). The Council of Europe speaks of "credible allegations", and the UN Refugee Agency is already concerned.

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, told SPIEGEL that in recent years, illegal deportations have been documented in both Turkey and Greece - and called for a more humane migration policy.

This article is part of the project Global Society, for which our reporters report from four continents. The project is long-term and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

What is the project Global Society?

Under the title Global Society, reporters from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe will be reporting on injustices in a globalized world, socio-political challenges and sustainable development. The reportages, analyzes, photo galleries, videos and podcasts appear in the Politics Department of SPIEGEL. The project is long-term and will be supported over three years by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).

Are the journalistic contents independent of the foundation?

Yes. The editorial content is created without the influence of the Gates Foundation.

Do other media have similar projects?

Yes. Major European media such as "The Guardian" and "El País" have created similar sections on their news pages with "Global Development" or "Planeta Futuro" with the support of the Gates Foundation.

Was there already similar projects at SPIEGEL ONLINE?

SPIEGEL ONLINE has already implemented two projects in recent years with the European Journalism Center (EJC) and the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: The "Expedition The Day After tomorrow" on Global Sustainability Goals and the journalistic refugee project "The New Arrivals" Several award-winning multimedia reports on the topics of migration and escape have emerged.

Where can I find all the publications on the Global Society?

The pieces can be found at SPIEGEL ONLINE on the topic page Global Society.

Source: spiegel

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