‘Around 8 o’clock in the morning the boat’s engine broke. We were in the sea until 19:45. We had four mobiles and four batteries, which were consumed, calling 112 telling them we need to be rescued. Someone answered 112. He told us: ‘You are under control, we are searching for your point via satellite. Maximum at 30 minutes we will be at you. Keep your phone open.’ The coastguard arrived around 19:45. (…) We spent two nights and one day in Farmakonisi island. Then, around 12:00 in the night the same five men who had brought us to Farmakonisi (...) took us back to the boat. (…) Our boat had neither an engine nor paddles, but they threw us in it. We stayed in the water from 23:45 until 5 o’clock in the morning.’ 104 The landborder between Turkey and Greece runs for the most part along River Evros / Maritsa. • In another case, a boat was allegedly in distress, near the island of Samos. Among its passengers was a patient with metastatic cancer, elderly people and small children. Relatives of the passengers allegedly communicated with the Rescue Center. Nevertheless the boat was allegedly pushed back and the passengers claimed to have been badly beaten. © Hinrich Schulze ‘We were 150-200 meters from the [Greek] coast. The police had not seen us yet. We couldn’t restart the engine, so we turned a mobile on and called SOS. We were so close to Samos we could clearly see the houses and the cars. When the Greek coastguard came, they made manoeuvres. We thought they would come to help us, but they drove directly towards us making waves. They had a big ship and they were passing extremely close by our boat. The women were screaming. We held ourselves with all our strength from the boat. When the coastguards came closer, they covered their faces with black masks. (…) When they arrested us they beat us badly with batons.’ 105 4.2 | Push-backs from Evros Region • In one of these cases106, the Greek authorities claimed that no boat was found. • Most interviewees claimed that they were either arrested after their entrance in Greek territory via Evros River and while walking in the streets of the first villages they saw, or in the woods where they got lost or hid themselves. In some occasions, refugees claimed that upon their arrest they were made to believe that they would be taken to a detention center. 104 | O.M., M.M. and D.M., from Syria (Afrin) / pushed back from Leros; Interviewed in Izmir (Turkey), August 29, 2013 105 | H.G.R., (with his family) from Afghanistan / pushed back from Samos in July 2013; Interviewed in Mytilene (Lesvos), September 17, 2013 106 | O.M., M.M. and D.M., from Syria (Afrin) / pushed back from Farmakonisi; Interviewed in Izmir (Turkey), August 29, 2013 28 | pUSH-bACK oPERATIONS The land border between Greece and Turkey runs along the river Evros, except for a section of land, where a fence has been built. In the Evros region the Greek army, the Greek police, the border police and Frontex units operate. The area is also monitored with thermal cameras and other high-tech equipment. A military border zone exists, where access to civilians is forbidden. ‘We hid for two days in the woods. (…) At six o’clock in the morning four persons came. (…) They had guns and radios. They woke us up with punches and kicks and asked everyone who had a mobile phone, to put it in front of them. They put all the mobiles in a plastic bag. They waved us not to talk.’ 107 107 | M.M. (24 years old), from Eritrea / pushed back from Evros on 17.6.13; Interviewed in Athens, August 19, 2013 pUSH-bACK oPERATIONS | 29