Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 13th of August 2022

Case name: 2022_08_13-Eastern Med - 964

Situation: Very ill woman and child denied medical assistance and violently pushed back by Greek authorities

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:

In the morning of the 13th of August 2022, Alarm Phone received a call by a worried relative, alerting us to a woman with diabetes and her injured child in distress and needing urgent medical attention near Protokklisi, Greece. We managed to get in touch with the woman who told us how her son had a fall and now he can’t walk, that she is very faint and unwell and that they were left alone. We alerted the Greek authorities at 14:19 CEST with her position, and tried to contact all surrounding police stations, but without success in getting her rescued.

She told us that she managed to get to a road and was trying to get cars to stop as she walked towards the nearest village carrying the child on her back. We were in contact with both her husband and her lawyer from Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) who had called 112, and the 112 had informed the police in Orestiada who said they will search for the woman. Once she arrived in the village, the residents called the police, who came and arrested her. She informed her husband at that moment, who then contact her lawyer and the Alarm Phone, but then we lost contact.

Days later she gave testimony about what happened to her:

“My name is **** and I live in Turkey. With my husband who lives in Germany we have one child .

I am diabetic and insulin dependent.

On 13 August 2022 I entered together with my son and other persons irregularly into the Greek territory, it was in the region of Evros (Orestiada), in order to apply for international protection and family reunification with my husband in Germany.

In Greece I became ill, I believe, as a result of poisoning from river water I drank in the area and began to feel ill, vomit and faint. Also my child was hurt after a fall and could not walk.

We could no longer move on and my health was deteriorating and I feared for my life. Therefore I was forced to leave the rest of the group and we were left alone. We needed rescue and medical assistance.

I was in the area between the villages of Protokklisi and Mavrokklisi.

The area is under the jurisdiction of the Orestiada Police Directorate.

I called from my mobile for help to the Greek authorities (112) and I asked for help via Whats up application and from help organizations. I believed that the Greek authorities will help me.

In addition, my husband in Germany, with whom I was in contact, tried to help me by informing rescue organizations. I contacted 112 and also a lawyer did the same.

After 18.15 I and my son hardly reached the village of Protokklesi , where I reached a house and asked for help. I was in a very bad condition. The inhabitants of this house helped me and called the Greek authorities again for help.

At about 18.38 was the last time I called my husband telling him that the police had come and hoping that they would take me and my child to the hospital.

Indeed the Greek police authorities (police vehicle with uniformed police officers on board) located us at the above location and arrested me but did not help us. It was obvious that we needed medical assistance and I fainted in front of them. No rescuers or ambulance arrived with the police, as they should have done, as we had requested medical assistance several times. And the police authorities were never informed of our whereabouts and never took us to a hospital and never provided us with any medical assistance.

I initially handed my mobile phone to the police officers in uniform.

We then waited at the spot until the arrival of a closed dark blue van, in which three policemen (or other security forces of Greece), two men and a woman, who were armed and wearing uniform dark blue clothes, were riding in.

My mobile phone was handed over by the two uniformed policemen to those in the van and the woman asked for its code, which my son gave.

Me and my son were put in the enclosed back of the van, which has no light or air. Gradually about 70 people were crammed into it, all men mostly Syrian. We had no oxygen. As the car moved on my son started coughing and choking and could not breathe. I was afraid for my child's life. I started screaming and banging my hands on the van. The van stopped. When the doors were opened by the authorities I tried to say that the child needed air.  All three police officers who were in the van (two men and a woman) had come down and took me and the child out of the van.  After dragging me for 3 minutes, the woman forcibly removed all my clothes and underwear and strip searched me right there on the side of the road and in front of the other two men and my child. I felt so humiliated and helpless. This is something I cannot forget and it shook me. After they let me get dressed again, they forced us back in again. I felt physically and psychologically awful. The child was not well at all. The van had no windows and no light and air.  My mouth was dry due to sugar, I was palpitating, passing out and vomiting. We were like sardines. I was the only woman and my son was the only child in the group of about 70 people, most of them men and most of them Syrians.

When we arrived at our destination, they left us all in the van for about half an hour. We couldn't take it anymore, we were knocking on the door. We shut up. When we got out and entered a detention area, which I don't know where it is, the authorities forced my fellow detainees to strip and physically check themselves in humiliating conditions in front of all of us and in front of me and the child. The authorities were very violent and I witnessed many beatings and injuries from the beatings. They took all our belongings.

I asked for my insulin, but the authorities ostentatiously broke my insulin in front of my eyes.

The detention authorities were armed and wore dark clothes and hats. I also saw some wearing military uniforms.

I could not see the place well. I did not feel well. I was scared and it was getting dark. We stayed in the courtyard and did not go inside the detention area.

I tried in vain to seek medical help, telling them I needed a doctor and insulin. My condition was miserable, vomiting, fainting , fatigue etc. The lack of insulin was taking a toll on my health. My son was also not feeling well and was very scared and crying. I told them again that I want asylum to stay here. They were shouting at me.

My mobile phone was never returned to me. When it became night the authorities forced us back into the van and we travelled for about half an hour until we arrived near the Evros River. There were hooded men there, armed with guns, they checked us again and took our money. I don't know if the people who took us were mercenaries or police officers. From the point where the van left us to the river bank we had to walk barefoot because they had taken our shoes which they returned to us later. My feet were injured and my nails came off as I am a diabetic.

We were forced into a boat, a "mercenary" drove it to the middle of the river where we were dropped off. I was terrified. I didn't know how to swim. The water was up to my chest. My child couldn't walk on his own because of the depth of the water so I took him on my shoulder. I don't know how to swim. It was at night and it was dangerous for our lives. I was diving in the water and swallowing water I was afraid that we might die.

I don't remember when I arrived in Turkey, it was night and late. We were arrested by the Turkish authorities, to whom I declared that I had been pushed back by the Greek authorities. Because I fainted the Turkish authorities took me to the hospital in Edirne with my child. My name in the hospital is wrongly registered as *** (because I was taken to the hospital together with a man injured by beatings and they thought we were family). The doctors told me that I need insulin and special food. My son was sick too, he had a fever and from the hardship they had to put him on an IV. From the hospital we were taken to the detention centre.

During my detention and hospitalisation I had no access to a telephone, while my own phone had been taken away by the Greek police and had not been returned to me. Consequently, I could not notify anyone, including my husband in Germany.

My husband continued to search for me and on 16.8.2022 he sent in my name and on my behalf a letter of missing persons declaration for me and my child.

No reply was given to the document.

I was able to contact my husband only when I was released from the detention centre and arrived in Istanbul and managed to access a telephone through an acquaintance after 17.8.2022.”

Twitter/news link: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1558455346259165186