where they witnessed border police officers, officers in green, military officers with heavy weapons (some of the officers were fully masked) and fully masked people without uniforms in black (who appeared to be under the command of the officers, for example driving the boat). The five Turkish citizens found themselves in a group of approximately 150, women, men and children, some of whom were vulnerable and injured. The authorities violently and aggressively divided them into groups of five. One of the masked men bodily searched all detainees, taking their money and other belongings. The asylum seekers were ordered by the officers in green, fully masked and with military boots, to kneel. They were beaten, and then violently forced to get in the boat without shoes and socks, mobile phones, money or other belongings. The boats were driven by the masked men to the Turkish side of the river. They were afraid that if they were arrested by the Turkish authorities their safety and even their lives were at risk. The group was forcibly and illegally expelled by the Greek authorities to Turkey between 22:00 and 22:30 on the night of 26 May 2022. What happened after the pushback of 27 May: On 8 June, two members of the initial group managed to re-enter Greece. The lawyers sent letters to the competent authorities asking them to comply with the pending interim measures by the Court. The Public Prosecutor of Orestiada was also informed and his intervention was requested. The asylum seekers duly informed the ECtHR. They were apprehended by the Orestiada Police Directorate and transferred to 28 the Border police station of Orestiada / Neo Cheimonio (which was identified by the applicants as the place where they had been informally detained for 4-5 hours before their pushback of 27 May). Subsequently, they were transferred to the Fylakio RIC, where their asylum applications were registered. A few days later they were released from formal detention without having been given the required reception conditions. An application has been filed before the ECtHR for ECHR violation, on behalf of the two pushback victims that managed to return to Greece. II. The case of 7 Turkish asylum seekers detected between Orestiada and Neo Cheimonio and pushed back on 27 June 2022 Date of arrival: 27 June 2022 Date of ECtHR’s interim measures: (contact with GCR established after the pushback) Date of pushback operation: 27 June 2022 Relevant application(s) before ECtHR: D.O. and others v. Greece Alleged Violations of the Convention: Art. 2, Art. 3, Art. 5, Art. 34 ECHR Arrival of 7 Turkish asylum seekers between Orestiada and Neo Cheimonio: On 27 June 2022 at approximately 04:00, 7 people entered Greece via the Greek-Turkish land borders and the Evros river to ask for international protection from the Greek authorities. Upon their arrival in a location between Orestiada and the village of Neo Cheimonio, they requested assistance from human rights organizations, including GCR. AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION

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