Greece urged to halt migrant 'pushbacks' by Europe's human rights agency.
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It's a chaotic scene on Greece's borders, where the practice of allegedly pushing back migrants continues. The Council of Europe (CoE) has slammed Greece for its "zero-tolerance approach to summary returns" - a.k.a. pushbacks - and urged them to clean up their act.
Michael O'Flaherty, the CoE's commissioner for human rights, is worried about such practices persisting at both land and maritime borders. O'Flaherty believes that by returning people without proper identification, Greece is preventing member states from determining if they might be sending folks back to face human rights abuses.
But there's a silver lining: O'Flaherty notes that the number of allegations has dropped in recent months.
Greece, however, is on the defensive, vehemently denying the pushback allegations and insisting their border control measures comply with international law. Their argument? Greek police are only involved in preventing illegal border crossings while migrants are still in Turkish territory.
This controversy gained legal traction when the European Court of Human Rights slapped Greece's hand in January 2025, ruling that Athens had violated European human rights conventions by systematically expelling migrants without due process.
Meanwhile, Greece's government is toughening its stance on migration. Migration Minister Makis Voridis is looking to extend the maximum detention period for rejected asylum seekers from 18 to 24 months, promising more unfavorable conditions for those who refuse to leave voluntarily.
In the midst of all this, Frontex, the EU's border agency, is investigating multiple alleged human rights violations by Greece regarding their handling of illegal immigration. They recently boosted their complaint mechanism and promised to examine each case thoroughly.
The struggle continues, and the international community is watching closely to see if Greece will bend to pressure and reform its border management practices to align with international human rights standards.
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Keywords: Pushbacks, Council of Europe, Migrants, Frontex, Greece, Human Rights Violations
Enrichment Data:Recent reports by the Council of Europe and Frontex emphasize significant concerns about the treatment of migrants at Greece's borders, with "pushbacks"/summary deportations being the primary issue. These practices, which are considered illegal under the U.N. Refugee Convention and international law, involve forcibly removing migrants without access to asylum procedures or legal recourse. The Council of Europe criticizes Greece's lack of due process, viewing it as a systematic violation. Frontex is currently investigating 12 cases of potential human rights violations by Greece, with the majority of cases since 2024. The European Court of Human Rights has already ruled against Greece for expelling migrants without due process, violating European human rights conventions.
- Amidst the investigation by Frontex over potential human rights violations, there are growing concerns about Greece's practices of 'pushbacks' at their borders, as directed by the Council of Europe.
- As tensions rise over Greece's border management, the European Court of Human Rights already admonished Greece for systematically expelling migrants without due process in January 2025.
- In regard to the ongoing debate surrounding migrant 'pushbacks' at Greece's borders, the international community is keeping a close eye on developments, eager to witness if Greece will amend its practices in line with international human rights standards.
