12 seekers who arrived on the Eastern Aegean Is- seekers who attempt to enter the EU through lands from traveling to the Greek Mainland un- the Eastern Aegean islands. 8 In 2021, Amnesty til their asylum claims are either successfully International referred to these informal returns adjudicated or denied in lieu of return to Tü- of asylum seekers against their will and outside rkiye, trapping tens of thousands of asylum of any legal framework as Greece's "de facto seekers on the Eastern Aegean islands and lead- border policy.” 9 These pushbacks manifest in ing to a humanitarian disaster unprecedented two distinct ways: The Greek Coast Guard inter- in modern-day Europe4. In mid-2020, the Greek cepts migrant boats that have neared or entered authorities undertook concerted efforts to de- Greek waters, disabling them, and pushing congest the island reception centres, after years them back towards Türkiye. The Greek Coast of pressure from advocates and in response to Guard also removes migrants who have already the COVID-19 pandemic . On Chios, the number set foot on Greek territory by forcing them onto of people accommodated in the Vial Hotspot inflatable engine-less rafts, and then stranding went from 5,785 persons in January 2020 to them near Turkish waters. 10 The Greek Coast 2,819 by the end of October 2020 according to Guard frequently uses violent tactics to carry statistics provided by the Greek government 6 . out these pushbacks, including stabbing boats At the time this report was published, about and firing into the water.11 While the Greek gov- 500 people were accommodated in the Vial ernment continues to deny such pushbacks, 12 Hotspot7. multiple investigations have documented the At the same time, the Greek authorities have practice 13 and countless refugee organizations been conducting a well-documented practice of and European officials have denounced it.14 5 illegally pushing back thousands of asylum 4 See e.g., Human Rights Watch (21 November 2018). “Greece: Dire Conditions for Asylum Seekers on Lesbos”, available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/11/21/greece-dire-conditions-asylum-seekers-lesbos. 5 See e.g. reliefweb, Decongestion of Greek Islands continues as 700 refugees and migrants move to mainland, 8 October 2019, available at: t.ly/_Txq. 6Hellenic Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Newsletter A, October 2020, available at: t.ly/xewj. 7 Lates statistics can be found here: https://bit.ly/3E6AuTK. 8 Euronews, Violent and illegal' migrant pushbacks must end now, EU warns Greece, 08 July 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3xmtoa0. 9 Amnesty International, Greece: Violence, lies, and pushbacks – Refugees and migrants still denied safety and asylum at Europe’s borders, 23 June 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3lApGXy. 10 Keady-Tabbal, Niamh; Mann, Itamar, "Tents at Sea: How Greek Officials Use Rescue Equipment for Illegal Deportations", 22 May 2020, available at: https://bit.ly/3InmIyx; The New York Times, Taking Hard Line, Greece Turns Back Migrants by Abandoning Them at Sea, 14 August 2020, available athttps://bit.ly/3RZMNXF; In relation to pushbacks at sea, Aegean Boat Report’s Annual Report for 2021 outlined that 902 boats carrying a total of 26,202 people were apprehended by the Turkish Coast Guard and Police in 2021 Of these total figures, 5,220 people had already arrived on the Greek Aegean islands before being “arrested by police, forced back to sea and left drifting in life rafts”, available at: https://bit.ly/3I2rPTt. 11 Christides, Giorgos; Lüdke, Steffen; Popp, Maximilian, "Pushbacks in Griechenland: Frontex wusste von Menschenrechtsverletzungen – und tat nichts", Der Spiegel, 15 July 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3HZcnr5. 12 EU Observer, Greek minister denies pushbacks despite evidence, 28 June 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3xkg4mb. 13 The Guardian, Greece accused of ‘shocking’ illegal pushback against refugees at sea, 26 April 2021, available at: https://bit.ly/3xlBAah; Politico, Adrift in uncertain waters: Migrant pushbacks in the Aegean, 21 July 2021, available at: https://politi.co/3E2rzlZ. 14Report to the Greek Government on the visit to Greece carried out by the CPT from 13 to 17 March 2020 Page 25-28, available at: https://rm.coe.int/1680a06a86; Following a meeting with several Greek ministers, European Home Affairs Commissioner, Ylva Johansson warned: “violent and illegal deportations of migrants must stop, now”. The Commissioner noted that the Commission “funding is linked to EU fundamental rights being correctly applied.”, available at: https://twitter.com/YlvaJohansson/status/1542480771126018049; See also: MEP Erik Marquart, Question: Pushbacks by Frontex in the ‘Quarantine of Asylum Seeker’ – A legal classification of the quarantine practice on Chios