October 19, 2022
Cited article by Eva Cossé, Human Rights Watch
HRRC joins Human Rights Watch in demanding Frontex to cease operations in Greece and urging the European Union to take stronger action against the ongoing abuses against migrants at the borders of Greece and Turkey.
Article Summary
A leaked report from the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf) highlights that the European Union's border agency continues to accept the illegal pushback of migrants attempting to enter Greece from Turkey. The European Border Agency, Frontex, continues operating in Greece. Many NGO's and media outlets have reported human rights abuses at the borders, including Greek authorities using force to send migrants back to Turkey.
The European Court of Human Rights ordered Greece to prevent the widespread return of asylum seekers on the Turkish border. Frontex also mandated that all personnel must respect the rights of all, and should immediately discontinue operations if rights violations were likely to occur or were occurring. However, the recently released report states that Greece has dismissed the concerns and even threatened criminal sanctions against those reporting incidents.