TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
2.
INTRODUCTION...........................p.4
THE SITUATION AT THE
BORDERS....................................... p.6
2.1. One Year After the Deadly
Pylos Shipwreck.................................p.7
2.2. Human Rights Violations
Continued to Be Reported
Throughout 2023 and 2024..... p.10
A. International Media Reports on
Pushbacks............................................p.11
B. 2023-2024 Reports by Human
Rights Bodies, Institutions, Civil
Society on Documented
Pushbacks........................................... p.12
C. EU funds to Greece for border
management and compliance
with fundamental rights...............p.16
D. Greece remains a hostile
environment for human rights
defenders............................................ p.17
2.3. 2023 Updates on the Situation
in Evros.................................................p.18
A. The Evros Border Region.............p.18
B. The extension of the Evros
border fence.......................................p.18
C. The official procedure in
Evros for newly arrived asylum
seekers..................................................p.19
D. Asylum Seekers Trapped in the
Dadia Forest and Burned to
Death during Evros Wildfire .... p.20
E. The 2023 CPT visit in Evros........p.21
3. NEW PUSHBACK CASES IN
EVROS BEFORE THE ECtHR....p.22
I.
The Case of a Turkish Asylum
Seeker Pushed Back from Evros
mainland on 22 February 2023
After Being Pushed Back from
Lesvos Island on 28 January
2023......................................................p.26
II. The Case of 17 Syrian Asylum
Seekers Pushed Back 4 Times
from Evros mainland on 25 and
28 February 2023 and 3 and 6
March 2023........................................p.29
III. The Case of 6 Afghan Asylum
Seekers Pushed back from a
forest near Soufli on
20 June 2023....................................p.36
IV.
The Case of 27 Syrian and Iraqi
Asylum Seekers Pushed Back
from a forest near Kastanies
on 31 August 2023..........................p.38
V. The Case of a Turkish Asylum
Seeker Pushed Back After
Being Arrested Inside the
Orestiada Bus Station on
16 August 2023................................p.42
VI. The Case of a Turkish Asylum
Seeker Pushed Back After
Presenting Himself at the
Greek Police Station on 22
November 2023...............................p.45
VII. The Pushback of two Turkish
Asylum Seekers from Kastanies
area on 24 November 2023...... p.48
VIII. The Case of a Turkish Asylum
Seeker Pushed Back from
Kastanies on 29 November
2023..................................................... p.50
IX. The Case of a Turkish and an
Iraqi Asylum Seeker Pushed
Back from Lagyna village in
Soufli on 1 December 2023 .......p.52
4. INEFFECTIVE INVESTIGATIONS
INTO PUSHBACKS AND RIGHTS
VIOLATIONS.....................................p.55
4.1. Not a single pushback case
before the Greek courts..............p.55
4.2. Pushback Cases Before the
ECtHR - Not Effectively
Investigated by Greek
Authorities..........................................p.56
A. Greece Condemned in 2023
for not effectively investigating
the abduction from the center of
Athens and illegal return of a
Turkish asylum seeker in 2013...p.59
B. 2023 Application before the
ECtHR for the ineffective
investigation of “the Megala
Therma Pushback” of 2021....... p.60
C. 2024 Oral hearing before the
ECtHR for the pushback of a
Turkish woman in 2019.................p.62
5. FINDINGS & CONCLUSION.......p.65
6. RECOMMENDATIONS................. p.68
AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: PUSHBACKS CONTINUE AS IMPUNITY PERSISTS
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