New GCR report reveals violence against refugees at the Greek-Turkish borders and criminalization of legal aid organizations
Pushbacks and intimidation of human rights defenders are a systematic part of an unofficial but carefully planned migration and border policy
A new report by the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) documents extreme violence against people seeking asylum at Europe’s external border. Pushbacks of refugees to Turkey are widespread, and involve humiliation, illegal detention, intimidation, physical and sexual violence, and arbitrary confiscation of personal belongings.
Pushback cases before ECtHR and/or Greek Public Prosecutor
This report contributes to an existing body of extensive evidence of the Greek state’s illegal pushbacks practice, by providing particularly detailed descriptions of 11 pushback cases at the Evros border region and the Aegean islands, and 2 cases of pullbacks by the Turkish authorities in Evros.
Illegal detention in official and unofficial detention sites
In all cases detailed in the report, asylum seekers were arbitrarily held in official or unofficial detention sites, for periods ranging from a few hours to a full day before eventually being pushed back. In three cases, people identified their place of detention as the Neo Cheimonio Border Guard Station.
Sexual Violence
In all the reported cases, asylum seekers were subjected to strip search during their unofficial detention. In at least three cases, people reported incidents of sexual violence, ranging from humiliation to sexual assault and rape.
Pushback of two Palestinian recognized refugees
In June 2022, two Palestinians recognised by the Greek authorities as refugees and legally residing in the island of Kos were illegally apprehended in the middle of the street. They were brought to a small storage room with other people, body searched and then raped. Twelve hours later, the guards tied their legs, put them in a van and boarded them in a boat. They threw them in the sea on a half-deflated raft until the Turkish coast guard rescued them.
Criminalization of legal aid organizations
Evidence from the report also shows how human rights defenders supporting refugees, including NGOs like the Greek Council for Refugees, are increasingly intimidated and obstructed in their work by the Greek authorities. Instead of stopping these rights violations, the Greek government is targeting those who support refugees, framing them as enemies of the state and smugglers in an attempt to silence them and hinder their human rights work.
Alkistis Agrafioti Chatzigianni, Advocacy Officer at the Greek Council for Refugees, said:
“This research shows that unless the EU and Greek authorities finally put an end to these illegal border policies, they will only become more violent and widespread. The government must immediately cease all violations at its borders and allow human rights defenders to do their important work of supporting people seeking asylum.”
Kleio Nikolopoulou, Advocacy Officer at the Greek Council for Refugees, said:
“Pushbacks and border violence have become the rule rather than the exception in Greece. They are an unacceptable symptom of a broken European asylum policy and what is even more alarming is the EU standing by as these rights violations become a common trend throughout European borders. The EU needs to put in place a migration system that upholds asylum rights.”
▻https://www.gcr.gr/en/news/press-releases-announcements/item/2111-new-gcr-report-reveals-violence-against-refugees-at-the-greek-turkish-borde
Pour télécharger le rapport:
▻https://www.gcr.gr/media/k2/attachments/GCR_Pushback_Criminalization_Report.pdf
#rapport #GCR #Grèce #Turquie #frontières #asile #migrations #réfugiés #push-backs #refoulements #criminalisation_de_la_solidarité #violence #humiliation #détention_illégale #enfermement #violence_sexuelle #frontières_extérieures #Evros #îles #Thrace