Guard boat also carried our rubber boat. At 5 am the police showed us the Turkish shore. The police put us back on our rubber boat. We had a small engine, but the police took the engine and the two oars. The police made a hole in the boat. When we were at sea before we were caught the boat was okay, but when we were put back in the water, it was punctured. We tried to paddle with our hands. Some guys put their hands and feet on the hole. I couldn’t see how many holes there were, but I think there were many holes. All the boys kept their feet on the holes and scooped water. We paddled from 5 am to noon. The water level was up to four fingers below the rim so it was very difficult to move the boat. The wind was head on and nobody had life vests.98 Other migrants gave accounts that suggested Greek Coast Guard officer complicity with beating, robbery, and other illegal, life-threatening acts. A 17-year-old Afghan told Human Rights Watch that the Greek Coast Guard interdicted his rubber dinghy holding six migrants on April 24, 2008 off the coast of Lesvos; beat the migrants and after the beating, took them to Turkish waters, punctured the dinghy, and set them back to sea: The police brought us back to the Turkish shore, but not on land. They gave us back our small boat, but they made a hole. The dinghy had three air compartments, but in one there was a hole. They told us to go and not come back again. We had six oars, but they only gave us two back. We tried to fix the part of the dinghy they damaged, but couldn’t. The smuggler told us to take a rubber patch with us in case the police made a hole in the boat, but it had gotten wet and didn’t stick any more. Water was entering the dinghy, the weather became very windy and more water entered the dinghy. We were not sure that we would reach the shore. I thought I was going to drown.99 98 Human Rights Watch interview (name withheld, S-121), Athens, May 27, 2008. 99 Human Rights Watch interview (name withheld, S-124), Athens, May 28, 2008. 45 Human Rights Watch November 2008