BBC Report: Greek Coastguard Involved in Migrant Deaths

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Facts

  • The Greek coastguard has been accused of killing over 40 migrants — who were forced to turn back or were thrown overboard to their deaths — in the Mediterranean over the past three years.1
  • A BBC investigation found that at least 43 migrants allegedly died due to the coastguard's pushback in 15 incidents between May 2020 and 2023, with nine migrants reportedly being thrown into the water after arriving on Greek islands.2
  • In one account, a Cameroonian national said he had migrated to Greece to register as an asylum seeker before reportedly being apprehended and pushed into the water without a life jacket. He survived, but the bodies of the other two migrants were found on the Turkish coastline.2
  • The investigation includes footage of 12 people being forced into a Greek coastguard boat before being abandoned at sea in a dinghy and left to die.3
  • The Greek government has denied allegations of negligence and pushback against migrants by its coastguard, stating 'what has been reported is in no way proven.'4
  • In 2023, the number of sea crossings at the EU border reached 263K. Greece accounted for 41K of these crossings.5

Sources: 1BBC News, 2The Mirror, 3The New Arab, 4Barrons and 5Newstalkzb.Co.Nz.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. Greece has long been accused of breaking international law and violating the rights of asylum seekers by carrying out illegal pushback operations to force back migrants who cross the Mediterranean in search of a new life in the EU. The BBC investigation included reports from local media, nongovernmental organizations, the Turkish coastguard, and eyewitnesses. Prosecutors must take the Greek coastguard to court and hold Greece accountable for their dehumanizing actions.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Associated Press. The Greek coastguard protects the EU's external borders by following national and international law. Greek authorities are doing everything possible to secure the borders while at the same time promoting legal pathways for qualified applicants. The Greek coastguard, which saves dozens of human lives each day, regrets the alleged abuses in the Mediterranean. The actual perpetrators of migrant deaths are the smuggling networks, which continue to endanger lives in the sea.

Predictions