Turkish territory, and that the Greek authorities could therefore not conduct a rescue operation. 56 Following a parliamentary question, in October 2022 the Greek Ministry of Defense Affirmed before the Hellenic Parliament that the islet is in fact divided by a border separating a Greek and a Turkish part of the islet. 57 Leaving the islet and reaching the Greek mainland: The case was widely covered by Greek and international media as well as civil society organizations, urging the Greek authorities to rescue the asylum seekers. 58 On 14 August, the asylum seekers found an abandoned rubber dinghy, which they used to reach the Greek river bank by their own means. They stated that it was probably left by other people who had tried to cross the river previously. Formal arrest and detention of the asylum seekers by the Greek authorities: Οn 15 August, the group sent their new coordinates to their lawyers, who informed the Greek authorities about their new location on the Greek mainland. The Greek authorities went to this location where they finally formally arrested them. At about 04:00, they were detained in the border police station of Didimoteicho, where they were imme- diately interrogated by the border police. They did not receive food or water for 8 hours. They were asked to sign documents without being informed about the content. They did not have access to their lawyers, and their mobile phones were confiscated. Subsequently, the group was transferred to the RIC at Fylakio where they remained restricted for 22 days. Two asylum seekers reported that during their permanence in the Fylakio RIC the authorities put pressure on them and subjected them to an unofficial interrogation. Procedures before the Public Prosecutor: Twenty of the 38 Syrians were invited to give their testimonies before the Public Prosecutor of First Instance based in Orestiada, in the context of a preliminary examination of the case initiated by the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court. Furthermore, on 23 September a report was submitted before the Public Prosecutor of the Supreme Court regarding the unofficial interrogation and the pressure the authorities put on the pushback victims. What happened after the RIC procedures: After the completion of the reception and identification procedures in Fylakio RIC, the asylum applicants were transferred to the Drama Open Accommodation Camp. GCR, on behalf 56 Indicatively, see the following: Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis: Submitted evidence to the Prosecutor of the Supreme Court - “Information about third party involvement in the Evros case”, 1 September 2022, (in Greek), available at: http://bit.ly/3V4vsgW 57 Official Letter-Response of the Greek Minister of Defense to the Hellenic Parliament, Answer on the issue of “sovereignty on an islet in Evros”, 7 October 2022, http://bit.ly/3i2P8mB See indicatively: Efsyn, Ongoing Crime in Evros, 10 August 2022, available in Greek at: https:// www.efsyn.gr/ellada/dikaiomata/355170_egklima-diarkeias-ston-ebro, CNN Greece, Evros The 39 refugees remain stranded on the islet - International concern and reactions, 14 August 2022, available in Greek at:http://bit. ly/3GYzqDt, BBC News,Turkey-Greece migrants: 38 people found stranded on tiny, unnamed island, 16 August 2022, available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62561578, The Guardian, Greece finally aids refugees stranded on scorpion and snake-infested islet, 17 August 2022, available at: http://bit.ly/3AZuNoW 58 AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION 25