Greece pushes back more than 41,000 migrants since 2020: Report

Greece has pushed back a total of 41,523 irregular migrants to Turkish waters between 2020 and May 31, 2022, according to a report by Turkey's Ombudsman Institution (KDK).

The report also said that 53 irregular migrants in 2021 and 33 others in 2022 lost their lives - either drowned or froze to death - due to pushbacks.

"In some of the pushback incidents in the seas, irregular migrants were handcuffed from behind, were not given life jackets and thrown into the sea. In 14 such incidents in 2021, and seven incidents since the start of 2022, a total 78 migrants were thrown into the sea and 69 of them were rescued by the Turkish Coast Guard," the report said.

In all pushback incidents that resulted in the deaths of irregular migrants in 2021 and 2022, migrants were thrown into to the sea either handcuffed or without life jackets, the report added.

Greece pushed back 17,245 irregular migrants in 2020, 16,497 people in 2021 and another 7,781 irregular migrants up to the end of May this year, according to the report.

The report also included stories of irregular migrants who were subject to ill treatment by Greek officials.

"They sank our boat. Later they put my child, who was not breathing on my lap," recalled Feridun Serveri, an Afghan migrant.

A migrant from Cameroon said that she was brought to a forest, her mouth was covered with a piece of cloth. "They handcuffed me and stripped me naked. Two policemen raped me."

The report called on Greece to end the practices of systematic pushbacks in the sea and on the land and the establishment of an independent commission, which will include international organizations and non-governmental organizations, to investigate the pushback claims.

It also said that...