“An inhuman image”, according to the Greek Minister of Civil Protection. Ninety-two refugees were found naked after being forced, according to Athens, to cross the Evros River that separates Turkey from Greece.
The European border surveillance agency Frontex confirmed to AFP “the rescue of 92 migrants on Friday” with the help of the Greek authorities, according to a spokeswoman, Paulina Bakula.
“The (Frontex) agents reported that the migrants had been found naked and some of them had visible injuries,” he added from Warsaw, the organization’s headquarters, while Athens assures that Ankara forced these people to undress before deporting them next door. border greek.
“Shame on Civilization”
Greek Civil Protection Minister Takis Theodorikakos accused Turkey of “instrumentalizing illegal immigration”, but Ankara denied any involvement in the poor and degrading treatment inflicted on these refugees.
Greece must stop “manipulation and dishonesty,” according to an English-language tweet from Turkish Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli.
Most of these people, Syrians and Afghans, “described to Frontex agents that three Turkish army vehicles had taken them to Evros,” Takis Theodorikakos said in an interview with the private Skai television network.
Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi on Saturday called the incident a “shame on civilization.”
Athens is regularly singled out by NGOs and various journalistic investigations for illegal and violent refoulement carried out on its sea and land borders with Turkey. But he has always denied resorting to this practice, which is contrary to international law.
Crisis in the Aegean Sea
In late September on the platform of the United Nations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Greece of turning the Aegean Sea into a “cemetery” with “its oppressive policies”.
In reaction to the incident on Sunday, the NGO Mare Liberum considered that “in the Evros region, crimes against human rights are systematic and are committed daily by Turkey and Greece.”
“When these crimes are publicly discussed by members of governments, they only serve to fuel the conflict between Greece and Turkey,” continues the NGO.
Source: BFM TV
