24 November 2020
Internal emails obtained by EUobserver show that the Greek authorities ordered that a group of people be pushed back to Turkey. The case came to public attention earlier this year when a Danish coast guard vessel operating in the Aegean as part of a Frontex mission refused to carry out the orders. Despite mounting evidence, the Greek government continues to deny that its officials have ever been involved in any form of pushback, and the revelations also raise questions for EU border agency Frontex.
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Revealed: Official Greek order to illegally pushback migrants (EUobserver, link):
"A redacted chain email from the EU's border agency, Frontex, made available following a freedom of information request, clearly shows that the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) received orders to push migrants back into Turkish territorial waters.
(...)
The email, dated 6 March 2020, describes an incident where the Danish coast guard refused orders to force migrants and asylum seekers on a small boat near the Greek island coastline back to Turkey.
Frontex chief Fabrice Leggeri has repeatedly described that incident as a "misunderstanding", telling the European Parliament that it was an isolated incident.
But the nine-page Frontex email chain casts that assessment into doubt, given it was direct order."
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