Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 6th of September 2022
Case name: 2022_09_06-Evros – 995
Situation: 1 injured person pushed back in the Evros region
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Eastern Med - Evros

At 21:55 CEST, we made contact with an injured person from Syria in Metaxades, in the Evros region. We immediately inform authorities and underline that the traveller wants to seek asylum in Greece and needs international protection. During the night we call several border guard stations. Different officers promise us that they will forward the alert to the responsible authorities.
The next day, we are unable to reach the person. In addition, police and border guard stations all claim to have not found the person. All this makes another illegal pushback very likely. We close the case with an unknown outcome.
Days later, we manage to establish contact with the person again. He gave us the following testimonial about the violent attack and pushback by Greek border guards:
«The Greek police arrested me. They took my phone and money. At night, I was handed over to the border guards. They were different from the Greek police and were wearing military uniforms. Some of them were of different nationalities, amongst them were mercenaries of Afghan nationality. We were transported in a closed car. There was no window to breathe. We were 70 people. Then we were put in a prison close to the Turkish border where we spend 9 hours. The prison was very dirty. There was no water or a bathroom. Women and men were put together in a small room. The treatment was very bad, our clothes were completely removed and we were left without food or water. Then we were taken to the river with beatings, insults and cursing without shoes. I told them that I suffer from disc disease and yet I was beaten and left without clothes in the cold. They forced us back to Turkey to swim across the river. In Turkey, the treatment was fairly good. They gave us shoes and clothes, set a fire to keep warm, and asked for cars for us to return to Istanbul. When I arrived in Turkey I stayed in the hospital for three days due to pain and now I am fine.»