BBC Report: Greek Coastguard Involved in Migrant Deaths
BBC InvestigationReport: Greek Coastguard ThrewInvolved Migrantsin toMigrant Their Deaths
The Facts
According to the BBC, witnesses have accused the Greek Coast Guard (HCG) of killing at least 40 migrants in the Mediterranean over the past three years. Allegedly, the HCG forced migrants back out to sea and threw nine people into the water after they arrived on Greek islands.
According to the BBC, witnesses have accused the Greek Coast Guard (HCG) of killing at least 40 migrants in the Mediterranean over the past three years. Allegedly, the HCG forced migrants back out to sea and threw nine people overboard to their deaths after they arrived on Greek islands.
The Spin
Greece has long been accused of breaking international law and violating the rights of asylum seekers by carrying out illegal pushback operations to force back migrants who cross the Mediterranean in search of a new life in the EU. The BBC investigation included reports from local media, NGOsnongovernmental organizations, the Turkish coastguard, and eyewitnesses. Prosecutors must take the Greek coastguard to court and hold Greece accountable for their dehumanizing actions.
The Greek coastguard protects the EU's external borders by following national and international law. Greek authorities are doing everything possible to secure the borders while at the same time promoting legal pathways for qualified applicants. The Greek coastguard, which saves dozens of human lives each day, regrets the alleged abuses in the Mediterranean. The actual perpetrators of migrant deaths are the smuggling networks, which continue to endanger lives in the sea.
