Extract from article by DW, published on InfoMigrants on 02/11/2023 – accessible here.
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity has alleged that Greek and EU authorities have ‘normalized’ abusive pushbacks of migrants arriving from Turkey. Nearly 30,000 migrants have arrived to Greece so far this year.
Greek authorities have engaged in a “recurring practice” of alleged illegal pushbacks of migrants, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a report released on Thursday.
The report follows charges by charities, activists and Turkish authorities, who accuse Athens of similar actions in both the Aegean Sea and in Thrace, at the land border with Turkey.
Athens has denied the allegations and argued it needs to protect Greek and EU borders from illegal migration. Greece has stepped up patrols in the Aegean Sea alongside the European Border Surveillance Agency, Frontex.
What did MSF say about migrant pushbacks?
“MSF teams have borne witness to how normalized pushbacks have become, and to the stark absence of protection for people who seek safety in Greece,” MSF said in a report.
“Despite extensive and credible evidence, Greek authorities, the EU and its member states have failed to hold to account the perpetrators of these violations,” it added.