What happened after the pushback of 18 February 2021: 3 of the 13 pushback victims managed to re-enter Greece in 2022. They testified before the Public Prosecutor regarding the criminal acts against them during the pushback operation of 17-18 February 2021. A criminal preliminary investigation is ongoing before the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Mytilene. The Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court is aware of and follows the case. The Megala Therma government-run facility on Lesvos continues to be used today for the quarantine of newly arrived asylum seekers who arrive at the northern part of Lesvos island. During the quarantine period, the newly arrived asylum seekers remain without access to reception conditions, including psychosocial and legal aid. The reception and identification procedures only start when they are moved out of quarantine and transferred to Mavrovouni RIC, at the other side of the island.71 During this period, no official registration of the asylum seekers takes place, which can leave space for arbitrary practices against the asylum seekers, including pushback operations as described above. II. Pushback of recognized Palestinian refugees on the Eastern Aegean Island of Kos Date of arrival: 28 February 2022 Place of arrival: Kos island Date of pushback operation: 18 June 2022 Special characteristics of the pushback operation: the pushback victims were refugees recognized by the Greek Asylum Service, legally residing in Greece Relevant legal procedures: A complaint has been filed before the Public Prosecutor On 18 June 2022, two Palestinians recognised by the Greek authorities as refugees and legally residing in Kos island - were walking in the city of Kos. Two men in civilian clothes stopped them, identified themselves as policemen, and requested to see their residence permits. The Palestinians showed their documents issued by the Greek authorities. The two men illegally confiscated the documents and the money that the refugees were carrying, and later, they illegally confiscated their cell phones as well, after having searched their content. After a while, a car arrived and the two men identifying themselves as police officers tied the hands of the two Palestinians in plastic handcuffs. They were forced into the back seat of the car. They were driven towards an unidentified direction and after some time the car stopped in order to have their eyes covered with duct tape. Eventually, they arrived in a small storage room, where they remained for about half an hour. In that small room they were forced to take off all of their clothes, they were bodily searched and they were raped - one 71 GCR and Oxfam Briefing, Lesbos Bulletin Update on the EU response in Lesbos, 21 April 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3Vq8mBu , see also the relevant press release, available at: https://bit.ly/3VtVElf AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION 39