Reports have surfaced indicating that Greek police are recruiting masked migrants as mercenaries to forcibly push back other migrants across the border with Turkey. Evidence obtained by the BBC shows internal police documents detailing how this recruitment was directed by senior officers. Allegations of brutality have been made, including witness accounts of migrants being stripped, robbed, beaten, and sexually assaulted—referred to as mercenaries since at least 2020.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated he was totally unaware of any use of migrants for pushbacks, and the government has not responded to detailed inquiries regarding these allegations. Such pushbacks—forcing migrants and asylum seekers back without proper legal process—are generally viewed as illegal under international law.
Similar accusations of masked men conducting pushbacks were reported previously by the Dutch news outlet Lighthouse Reports last year. The BBC’s own investigation, in collaboration with the Consolidated Rescue Group, has been ongoing since last autumn after disturbing video footage of migrant mistreatment emerged.
Investigators have collected testimony from various sources, indicating the severity of abuse taking place on the ground. One police source highlighted that mercenaries could potentially push back hundreds of migrants weekly, a claim backed by many personnel within the region. The findings have raised significant alarms about human rights violations against those seeking asylum in the EU.
The situation remains dire, with a record of over a million migrant arrivals to Greece since 2015, and ongoing reports of violence and coercion at the border highlighting the urgent need for accountability and reform.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated he was totally unaware of any use of migrants for pushbacks, and the government has not responded to detailed inquiries regarding these allegations. Such pushbacks—forcing migrants and asylum seekers back without proper legal process—are generally viewed as illegal under international law.
Similar accusations of masked men conducting pushbacks were reported previously by the Dutch news outlet Lighthouse Reports last year. The BBC’s own investigation, in collaboration with the Consolidated Rescue Group, has been ongoing since last autumn after disturbing video footage of migrant mistreatment emerged.
Investigators have collected testimony from various sources, indicating the severity of abuse taking place on the ground. One police source highlighted that mercenaries could potentially push back hundreds of migrants weekly, a claim backed by many personnel within the region. The findings have raised significant alarms about human rights violations against those seeking asylum in the EU.
The situation remains dire, with a record of over a million migrant arrivals to Greece since 2015, and ongoing reports of violence and coercion at the border highlighting the urgent need for accountability and reform.
