November 2008 1-56432-411-7 Stuck in a Revolving Door Iraqis and Other Asylum Seekers and Migrants at the Greece/Turkey Entrance to the European Union Map of Greece and Turkey Border Region ........................................................................................... 1 I. Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 2 II. Recommendations ........................................................................................................................ 8 III. Methodology and Scope ............................................................................................................. 15 IV. Background ................................................................................................................................ 19 The Geography of Migration: the Greek Gateway to the EU .......................................................... 19 Increase in Apprehensions......................................................................................................... 19 Increase in Asylum Applications ............................................................................................... 20 V. The Dublin System and the Failure of International Burden Sharing ........................................... 22 Transfers to Greece under Dublin II ............................................................................................ 23 The EU’s Failure to Relieve the Iraqi Refugee Burden in the Middle East ..................................... 26 VI. Iraqi Refugees and Migrants ...................................................................................................... 28 VII. Access to Greek Territory: Apprehensions, Orders to Leave, Deportations, Summary Expulsions and Pushbacks ................................................................................................................................32 Apprehensions .......................................................................................................................... 32 Orders to Leave ......................................................................................................................... 33 Official Deportations .................................................................................................................. 35 Returns under the Greece-Turkey Readmission Agreement .........................................................36 Summary Forced Expulsions from the Evros Region ....................................................................38 Greek Coast Guard Pushbacks ................................................................................................... 41 VIII. Turkey’s Border-Enforcement Response to Greek Expulsions and Pushbacks ........................... 48 IX. Detention in Turkey .....................................................................................................................52 Edirne........................................................................................................................................ 52 Edirne: Intentionally Inhuman and Degrading Treatment ........................................................... 56