The Council of Europe (CoE) has called on Greece to enforce stricter legal protections along its borders and embrace a “zero-tolerance policy towards immediate expulsions,” following persistent allegations of unlawful migrant deportations amid growing global disapproval.
Michael O’Flaherty, the Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, presented these recommendations after his trip to Greece in February.
A memo stated that the commissioner is worried about the accusations made during his trip concerning ongoing practices of summary returns — known alternatively as ‘pushbacks’ or ‘informal forced returns’ — occurring at both terrestrial and marine boundaries.
Failing to conduct individual identification procedures when returning individuals stops member states from determining if they might be subjecting them to human rights violations.
However, the statement also mentioned that O’Flaherty pointed out the number of allegations had decreased in recent months.
Athens has continually rejected the accusations of pushbacks, asserting that its border control practices adhere to international law.
In a written response to the commissioner, Greek Police said its officers are involved only in the “lawful prevention of illegal border crossings while migrants are still in Turkish territory and have not yet reached Greece.”
The accusations regarding pushbacks became legally significant when the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Greece in January, determining that Athens had breached European human rights agreements by consistently deporting migrants without proper procedures.
At the same time, the Greek government is strengthening its immigration policies.
Migration Minister Makis Voridis has disclosed intentions to lengthen the maximum detainment duration for refused asylum seekers from 18 to 24 months.
“The undocumented immigrant whose asylum request has been denied but still chooses not to return home can expect an increasingly harsh official atmosphere designed primarily to prompt voluntary departure,” Voridis stated to the Action 24 TV news channel.
On Tuesday, the coast guard announced that they had rescued 158 migrants from three rubber boats located south of Crete Island. This operation was carried out with help from neighboring commercial ships and Frontex, which is the European Union’s agency for border management.
Last month,
Frontex stated that it was looking into several claims of alleged human rights abuses.
as Greece handles unauthorized migration.
Frontex stated that they are investigating 12 reported severe incidents, primarily happening in 2024, without providing additional information.
Chris Borowski, a representative from the agency, mentioned that they have recently enhanced their complaint system.
“Currently, there are 12 ongoing critical incident reports concerning Greece under examination by the Fundamental Rights Office. They are each being reviewed meticulously,” he stated.
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