The European Court of Human Rights has found Greece guilty of systematically pushing migrants abroad.
He ruled that Greece illegally deported woman to neighboring Turkey by “pushing” across the border, calling this practice systematic, writes AR. The Turkish woman, referred to in the ECHR decision as A.R.E., awarded compensation of 20 thousand euros due to wrongful expulsion in 2019 after crossing the border into Greece – without the opportunity to apply for asylum. The court decision states:
“The court held that there were compelling reasons to believe that, at the time of the events incriminated, there was a systematic practice of ‘pushing’ third-country nationals from the Evros region into Turkey by the Greek authorities.”
At the same time, due to lack of evidence, the court rejected a similar claim by an Afghanwho claimed he was illegally returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Samos in 2020 when he was 15 years old.
Representatives of the Greek government at the ECHR hearings denied the charges, questioning the reliability of the evidence provided and arguing that the country's border policy complies with international law.
The ECtHR's decision may affect how EU treats migrants at its borders amid increased immigration controls. Last year, Greece registered more than 60 thousand illegal migrants – almost 50% more than in 2023.
Charities and migrant rights groups have repeatedly accused the Greek coast guard and police of illegally preventing migrants from seeking asylum by secretly returning them to Turkish waters.
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