The boats were driven by the Arabic speaking men who had previously attacked them when crossing the river back towards the direction of the Turkish riverbank. They were abandoned on an islet in the middle of the Evros River with only their personal belongings. The desperate plea for rescue: The asylum seekers were stranded on the islet for five days. On 19 July, they contacted human rights organizations, desperately asking for help and legal assistance. On 20 July, one of their lawyers sent an email to the Greek authorities. The lawyers informed them about the asylum seekers’ location, their will to apply for asylum and their lives being at risk. On the same day, a request for interim measures was lodged before the ECtHR. The ECtHR reacted immediately and granted interim measures, ordering the Greek authorities to not remove the asylum seekers from Greece and to provide them with food, water and adequate medical care. The next day, 21 July, one of the lawyers of the asylum seekers notified by email the Court’s decision to all competent authorities, including the Public Prosecutor of Orestiada. On 25 July, the lawyers informed the Greek authorities by email that the asylum seekers were still on the islet, and that their lives were at risk. Their presence was proven by a photo shared with the authorities with metadata information, which shows, inter alia, the exact location. During that time, the asylum seekers remained stranded in terrible conditions with no access to potable water, food and medical care. They had been stung by insects and had signs of allergies over their bodies. 22 The Greek police never replied to the emails in writing, however they responded telephonically on the same day, stating that they could not locate the asylum seekers. Pushback operation of 26 July: On 25 July, the asylum seekers being in distress and feeling hopeless gathered on the shore of the islet opposite the Greek river coast and started shouting for help. Half an hour later, two unknown men appeared on the Greek riverbank and said to them “I am police”, but did not provide any assistance. On 26 July between 01:00 and 02:00 AM, the asylum seekers were attacked by uniformed, armed Greek men. The asylum seekers were transferred to the Greek riverbank and then to two different unidentified detention sites on the Evros mainland. In the morning of 26 July, they were pushed back to Turkey. On the same day their lawyers reported the case to the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court. What happened after the pushback of 26 July: pushed back and forth by Greek and Turkish authorities: When they arrived on the Turkish side of the river, Turkish border guards arrested and detained the asylum seekers for approximately 5 days. On 31 July, some members of the original group of asylum seekers were once again forced by the Turkish authorities to return to the Greek river bank by dinghy and were forcibly transferred to an Evros islet by the same Turkish authorities. On the islet they were severely beaten by the Greek army and police. One of the pushback victims described that they had experienced physical violence AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION