Frontex accused of illegally expelling migrants from Greece to Turkey

The report of the European Anti-Fraud Office says that migrants were illegally deported to Turkey from Greece by Frontex employees.

The 120-page document indicates that the European Union’s border agency covered up numerous such cases. Senior Frontex officials committed “serious misconduct and other violations.” They did not even properly investigate human rights violations against illegal migrants.

AT report it is also indicated that non-governmental organizations, over the past few years, have been signaling what is happening, especially during the migration crisis associated with the war in Syria.

Two years ago, on August 5, 2020, one of the Frontex employees reported a similar case. He witnessed how the Greek authorities literally forced an unreliable boat with migrants back into Turkish waters.

European Union law prohibits the forced return of people across an international border unless a preliminary assessment has been made of their right to seek asylum or other protection.

Recall that last Friday evening the Greek border guards in Evros discovered 92 illegal immigrants – completely naked and without any personal belongings. The naked migrants were noticed and detained by border guards. The survivors informed the Greek authorities that Turkish military vehicles had brought them to the coast of Evros. Then they took away their personal belongings and clothes, put them in plastic boats and pushed the boats towards the Greek side. Literally the day before, at the summit of the ministers of the interior EU in Luxembourg, Minister for the Protection of Citizens Takis Theodorikakos spoke, raising the issue of Turkish provocations and Ankara’s instrumentalization of immigration. He showed evidence that the problem was not Greek but European.

Yiannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Shipping and Island Policy of Greece, said that during his visit to Mytilene he met with representatives of Frontex, “the largest agency currently contributing to the strengthening of the role of the Coast Guard and the improvement of its activities.”