Greece Accused of Migrant Pushback Abuse
An investigation has uncovered allegations that Greek police recruited migrants to forcibly push other migrants back across the land border with Turkey, raising serious concerns about potential human rights violations. According to internal documents reviewed by the BBC, the practice was reportedly organised and overseen by senior officers. These individuals, described as “mercenaries,” were allegedly involved in illegal pushbacks—operations that return migrants across borders without due legal process, which is generally prohibited under international law. Witness accounts describe severe abuses during these operations. Migrants claim they were stripped of their belongings, beaten, and in some cases subjected to sexual violence. Reports suggest that these recruited individuals—often migrants themselves from countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan—were compensated with cash, confiscated valuables, or documents that could ease their movement within Greece. The incidents are said to have taken place along the […]