Sources from the Ministry of Citizen Protection provide their response regarding the BBC investigation that Frontex is scrutinizing allegations of pushbacks by “masked” groups at the Evros border. Specifically, the report stated that Greek police allegedly recruit migrants as “mercenaries” to carry out violent and illegal pushbacks of other asylum seekers along the Evros River. However, as the competent sources note, “managing migration flows constitutes a complex challenge, particularly in areas under increased pressure, such as the European Union’s external borders. Greece responds to this responsibility consistently, while ensuring compliance with legality and its international obligations. At the same time, the competent Authorities remain at the disposal of every institutional body to provide data and assistance in any process aimed at ensuring transparency and objective representation of the actual facts.” The same sources clarify that the allegations published in international media concerning the country’s land borders are connected to claims about incidents that took place under the caretaker government in 2023.
“In any case, these allegations are taken seriously into consideration, evaluated and investigated immediately and institutionally, according to the applicable legislative framework and the control and accountability mechanisms operating at both national and European levels,” it is further noted.
Migrant pushbacks at Evros: How authorities respond to the allegations
Sources from the Ministry of Citizen Protection note the following regarding the allegations about pushbacks at Evros: “It is first pointed out that the allegations published in international media concerning the country’s land borders are connected to claims about incidents that took place under the caretaker government in 2023.
It is noted that Greek Authorities have repeatedly taken positions on similar claims in recent years, with clarity and documentation.
The standing position of the Hellenic Police is clear: the protection of the country’s borders is carried out within the framework of international, EU and national law, with full respect for fundamental rights and human dignity.
It is reminded that corresponding reports and publications are based mainly on testimonies and secondary evidence, which cannot be confirmed, while their evaluation often relies on the convergence of allegations rather than on evidentiary data.
In any case, these allegations are taken seriously into consideration, evaluated and investigated immediately and institutionally, according to the applicable legislative framework and the control and accountability mechanisms operating at both national and European levels.
It is reminded that managing migration flows constitutes a complex challenge, particularly in areas under increased pressure, such as the European Union’s external borders. Greece responds to this responsibility consistently, while ensuring compliance with legality and its international obligations. At the same time, the competent Authorities remain at the disposal of every institutional body to provide data and assistance in any process aimed at ensuring transparency and objective representation of the actual facts“.
