Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has stated that asylum-seekers arriving in Greece are being subjected to physical violence, such as beatings and being sent back to sea. MSF has called on Greece to increase search and rescue operations at sea for migrants. Greece has long faced accusations from aid groups and the United Nations’ refugee agency UNHCR for forcibly ejecting migrants at its sea and land borders, a practice known as “pushbacks” and considered illegal.
MSF’s report is based on testimonies from its patients on the islands of Lesbos and Samos. According to the report, asylum-seekers have experienced “physical violence, including being beaten, handcuffed, strip-searched, having their possessions confiscated, and forcibly sent back to sea.”
Several patients reported that upon arriving on the islands, uniformed individuals or masked men intercepted them and subjected them to degrading and violent treatment. They were handcuffed with plastic cable ties and beaten with batons and sticks.
MSF international president Christos Christou has urged the Greek government and European leaders to take immediate action to ensure the humane and dignified treatment of individuals seeking protection in Greece.
Greece’s government, which characterizes its migration policy as “tough but fair,” has consistently denied allegations of pushbacks. It claims to interdict boats within the framework of international law. The government did not provide an immediate comment on the report.
MSF’s report is based on the testimonies of 56 patients and covers the period between August 2021 and July 2023 on Lesbos and Samos. The report also states that many patients described being caught in “vicious cycles of violence, pushbacks, and repetitive dangerous sea crossings.” MSF teams have been unable to locate around 2,000 people believed to have arrived on the islands.
One woman named Fatima recounted her experience, stating that as soon as their boat entered Greek waters, a small grey boat approached them. A masked man dressed in black boarded their boat and began beating a person in front of him. The man then removed the engine and threw it into the water, leaving them stranded at sea.
Another woman named Elizabeth said that she and others in her group, including a pregnant woman, were handcuffed and beaten. She added that the attackers even stomped on the pregnant woman’s stomach. Other asylum-seekers reported having their phones, money, and medications confiscated before being forced onto boats, taken out to sea, and transferred onto life rafts.
Reporting by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Josie Kao
