The organization Amnesty International (AI) denounced on Tuesday (22.06.2021) that Greece has made illegal forced returns, torture and ill-treatment of migrants trying to reach the Hellenic country a common practice in its migration policy. the land border with Turkey.
In its new report entitled “Greece: violence, lies and illegal returns” AI presents more than twenty testimonies about the forced returns that have taken place in Evros, the land border between Turkey and Greece.
Specifically, the document refers to the period between June and December 2020 where hundreds of people have suffered systematic human rights violations at the hands of the border authorities.
“Many branches of the Greek state apparatus are closely coordinating to brutally arrest and detain people who have come to seek safety in Greece,” AI’s European migration specialist Adriana Tidona said in a statement.
Most of the witnesses to the report say they were beaten with sticks and batons by hooded men who arbitrarily arrested them and forcibly transferred them to the border.
AI denounces that this practice extends beyond Evros and collects evidence showing that several people were detained 700 kilometers away and returned by the security forces without following legal procedures. (efe)
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