Erdogan opponents allege Greek border pushbacks
For years #Greece has been accused of illegally pushing asylum-seekers back to #Turkey, a practice it strenuously denies.
But according to witnesses and rights groups, the summary #deportations are also hitting vulnerable opponents of Turkish President Recep Tayyip #Erdogan.
Kurdish writer Meral Simsek, 42, is one of several people who told AFP they were sent back to Turkey to face imprisonment and possible torture after already making a perilous crossing of the border on the River #Evros.
Athens has always denied that its security forces engage in illegal #pushbacks.
In March, Greece’s national transparency authority said a four-month investigation found no evidence of such practices.
EU border agency Frontex has also repeatedly been accused by rights groups of illegally returning migrants across EU borders.
Its chief Fabrice Leggeri quit last month amid an investigation by the European anti-fraud office OLAF, reportedly into alleged mismanagement.
Alkistis Agrafioti, a lawyer with the Greek Council for Refugees, said the time has come for the EU to mount a “serious” inquiry into pushbacks.
“Pushbacks not only run contrary to international law, but they are also accompanied by criminal acts — stealing, violence, abuse” and lives being put in danger, she added.
Marina Rafenberg / AFP
▻https://www.rfi.fr/en/erdogan-opponents-allege-greek-border-pushbacks