Greek Police Using Migrants to Push Back Other Migrants at Border

Greek police have been recruiting migrants to forcibly push other migrants back across the land border with Turkey, according to new evidence uncovered by a major news organisation.

Internal police documents show that senior officers ordered and oversaw the use of so-called mercenaries in these operations.

Witnesses report severe abuses including stripping, robbery, beatings, and sexual assault of migrants subjected to these pushbacks.

The practice has reportedly been ongoing unofficially since at least 2020.

The Greek prime minister told the news organisation he was "totally unaware" of these allegations, while Greek authorities have not responded to detailed requests for comment.

Pushbacks, which involve forcing migrants and asylum seekers back across borders without due process, are generally considered illegal under international law.

This issue is significant given Greece's role as an EU border state and the scale of migration it faces.

The investigation began last autumn after disturbing video footage was shared by a smuggler who had become disillusioned with his associates.

Although the footage could not be independently verified, it aligns with multiple accounts from migrants, former mercenaries, police sources, official documents, and leaked transcripts.

Greece has seen over a million migrant arrivals since 2015, mainly via sea crossings but also across its 200km land border with Turkey along the Evros River.

This border area is heavily militarised and forms the external frontier of the European Union.

A police source in the Evros region said mercenaries have been used to push back as many as hundreds of people a week.

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