25/10: One person in severe medical condition pushed back at the Evros river

26.10.2022 / 19:07 / Eastern Med

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 25th of October 2022

Case name: 2023_10_25_Eastern Med_1040

Situation: One person in severe medical condition pushed back at the Evros river

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Landborder Greece/Turkey
Summary of the Case:

In the morning of the 25th of October the Alarm Phone was alerted by the brother of a man, who was left behind by his group. We managed to get in touch with the man. He reported injuries and to be dehydrated as he ran out of food and water and was unable to walk. He reported that because of the new situation and demonstrations in Iran his life was in danger and expressed his wish to apply for asylum in Greece.

At 11:15 CEST we alerted all relevant Greek authorities as well as Frontex, UNHCR and several NGOs in Greece.

At 15:02 CEST when still no help had arrived, we started to tweet about the situation.

In the evening the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) granted interim measures and ordered Greece to not remove the injured person from its territory and to provide food, water and medical care.

At 20:52 CEST we sent another email to all relevant authorities informing about the interim measures and urging for rescue that so far had not arrived despite the urgency of the situation. The injured person reported that his condition was serious and getting worse. In addition, the battery of his phone seemed to die and he did not have food or water for several days. We wrote: “Any delay is life-threatening and we urge you to immediately launch a rescue operation and comply with the ECHR-decision.”

Nevertheless, the next morning (26.10.2022) the person was still at the same location. At 11:30 CEST we informed again all relevant authorities providing them another location and urging again for rescue. Around 14:00 CEST the contact to the person broke and could not be reestablished.

It was days later that we were able to reestablish the contact and learned that despite the ECtHR decision he was pushed back to Turkey.

We document here the testimony as he has provided to his lawyer and as it was forwarded to us by him:

“On 26.10.2022 the applicant  was waiting on the road at the same location (which has sent to his lawyer and his brother and to the Greek authorities). A white car with two policemen (one in black uniform and one  in green with guns) arrived. One of them (with green uniform) run fast out of the car towards the applicant and violently took his mobile. The applicant has tried to call his lawyer, as he was advised but he did not manage to talk with her, as the policeman took the mobile and tried to damage/ break it. Then the applicant was beaten and was threatened by the policeman with a gun on his head. The applicant was forced to enter and to stay hidden in the trunk of the car. The applicant was transferred in the closed dark trunk (suffocating because of dust) until he was forced out because of change of wheel (the sandy road has ended). Then the applicant was put again inside the trunk and he was brought near the river, where they were waiting until three black vans came. Two boats and hundred of people - almost all of them without shoes and terrified - were violently brought out of the vans by the Greek authorities. Then a police car (official) arrived with policemen in blue. One of them called him with his name. The applicant answered and  the policemen brought him violently in the plastic boat. He was the first one, who was brought inside the first boat. Among others he was pushed back to Turkey. Foreigners/non state agents under the command of the Greek authorities drove the boat. They were left in a small island in the middle  of the river. Then the applicant had to pass the rest of the river on foot until the Turkish shore. In Turkey he managed to run away from the Turkish police.  
While under the custody of the Greek authorities he has never given with water, food and never provided with medical help. He was in bad health situation. His asylum was never registered by the authorities.”
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • Border police patrols
     
    While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
  • Coastal radars
     
    Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
  • Exclusive Economic Zone
     
    Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
  • Frontex operations
     
    Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
  • Mobile phone coverage
     
    Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
  • Oil and gas platforms
     
    Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
  • Search and Rescue Zone
     
    An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
  • Territorial Waters
     
    A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans