The Greek coastguard is responsible for dozens of migrants’ death some of whom it threw overboard into the Mediterranean, a new BBC report has revealed. The coastguard forced the migrants, including Africans, out of Greece’s territorial waters whenever it happened upon them and went as far as taking some who had reached the Greek islands back out to sea. Eyewitness accounts disclosed that nine migrants were deliberately tossed into the sea, with over 40 deaths linked to the coastguard’s forceful expulsions and abandonment. The BBC’s analysis, based on local media, NGOs, and the Turkish coast guard, covered incidents from May 2020 to 2023. While the Greek coastguard denied all allegations of wrongdoing and claimed its staff were in full compliance with international law and obligation, a member of the Greek Special Forces confessed to an investigative reporter, disguised as a romantic interest, that the forced returns were based on the government’s orders.
SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER
