CONTENTS 1 | INTRODUCTION | page III-XVI 1.1 | Scope and Methodology | page VI 2 | SUMMARY | page VII-XVI 2.1 | Key-Findings | page VII-IX 2.2 | Systematic Human Rights Violations | page X 2.2.1 | Violation of the Prohibition of Collective Expulsions | page X-XI 2.2.2 | Risk of Violation of the Principle of Non-Refoulement | page XI-XII 2.2.3 | Putting Lives at Risk, Ill–treatment | page XII 2.2.4 | Violation of the Prohibition of Arbitrary Arrest and Detention | page XII 2.3 | Recommendations | page XIII-XVI 3 | EUROPE’S PRESSURE ON GREECE | page 1-7 1 | INTRODUCTION 4 | PUSH-BACK OPERATIONS FROM EUROPE’S EXTERNAL BORDERS TO TURKEY | page 8-34 4.1 | Push-back Operations from the Aegean Sea | page 14-17 4.1.1 | Push-backs from Greek Territorial Waters | page 17-24 4.1.2 | Push-backs from the Islands | page 25-26 4.1.3 | The Case of Farmakonisi | page 26-27 4.1.4 | Push-backs of Boats in Distress | page 27-28 4.2 | Push-backs from Evros Region | page 29-34 The present report focuses on the barriers to accessing the territory of the European Union for people seeking international protection, and particularly on the prevailing situation at the EU land and sea borders in Greece. It describes and analyzes the fatal consequences of the closing of the land border in the Evros region, which has led to a shift in flight routes to the Aegean sea route since August 2012. Reports of illegal push-backs of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and Eritrea have increased in the same period, and this pattern is also corroborated by the findings of this study. 5 | DEATH IN THE AEGEAN SEA | page 35-36 In March 2012, the Austrian Interior Minister, Johanna Mikl Leitner, said that the Greek border is open “like a barn door” and the German Interior Minister, Hans-Peter Friedrich, threatened to reintroduce Schengen border controls with Greece, if refugees continued to access European Union territory through the Greek-Turkish border. The pressure exerted by Germany, Austria and other EU member states had an impact on Greece. ANNEX-INTERVIEWS | page 37-71 II | cONTENTS iNTROCDUCTION | V