Report Alleges Greek Police Used Masked Migrants to Carry Out Border Pushbacks

Greece reportedly utilized masked migrants to propulsion different migrants backmost astatine the Evros borderline with Turkey. Image: Migrants connected Evros, Greece. Credit: AMNA

Greece’s constabulary recruited migrants to violently propulsion different migrants backmost crossed the Evros borderline with Turkey, according to a BBC study based connected interior constabulary documents, witnesser grounds and leaked transcripts.

According to the report, borderline guards described successful interior constabulary worldly however elder officers ordered and oversaw the recruitment of alleged “mercenaries,” who were themselves migrants, chiefly from Pakistan, Syria and Afghanistan, and whom Greek authorities allegedly utilized to transportation retired pushbacks successful the Evros region.

Some recruits received cash, mobile phones taken from different migrants, oregon documents that efficaciously allowed them to walk done Greece, portion others said authorities forced them into the role.

Alleged usage of migrant “mercenaries” successful the Evros portion of Greece dates backmost to astatine slightest 2020

The study said that the alleged usage of migrant “mercenaries” astatine the Evros borderline dates backmost to astatine slightest 2020. The investigation, carried retired with the Consolidated Rescue Group, began past autumn aft the broadcaster received disturbing video from a smuggler who said helium had grown disillusioned with his associates.

The BBC said it could not independently verify the footage. Still, it reported that the video intimately matched accounts from different sources. Those sources included migrants, erstwhile mercenaries, constabulary contacts, authoritative documents and leaked testimony.

Greece has recorded good implicit 1 cardinal migrant arrivals since 2015. Most arrived by sea, though galore besides crossed done the onshore borderline with Turkey. The Evros frontier runs for 200km on the Evros River and forms portion of the European Union’s outer border. It separates Greece’s Evros portion from Turkey’s East Thrace.

One constabulary root successful the portion told the broadcaster that mercenaries had pushed backmost hundreds of radical a week. The aforesaid root said each soldier, constabulary serviceman and Frontex serviceman serving successful Evros knew pushbacks were taking place.

Migrants picture violence, humiliation and intersexual abuse

The BBC probe includes elaborate allegations of brutality during these operations. Witnesses said masked men stripped migrants of their belongings, bushed them and humiliated them. Some said attackers bushed victims until they mislaid consciousness. The grounds gathered by the broadcaster besides includes allegations of intersexual violence.

One borderline defender told a disciplinary hearing, according to the BBC, that officials had received accusation that mercenaries were raping pistillate migrants. The defender said they had reported the substance to superiors.

Among the accounts cited is Amal, a Syrian migrant whose household had applied for asylum successful Greece. She told the BBC that constabulary detained her household successful 2025 portion they were walking done Orestiada successful bluish Evros. She said officers past handed them implicit to masked men, who took their phones and individuality papers earlier driving them to the borderline successful a windowless achromatic van.

At the river, Amal said, the maltreatment worsened. She told the BBC that masked men removed her daughter’s diaper portion searching for valuables. She besides described seeing a young antheral illness aft a beating arsenic a radical of astir 20 radical moved toward the stream nether threats and blows from sticks.

Frontex study details maltreatment successful June 2023 incident

The study besides cites a study by the Fundamental Rights Office, an autarkic watchdog wrong Frontex, into an incidental connected June 22, 2023. According to the broadcaster, footage showed masked men ambushing a radical of migrants who had crossed into Evros and wanted to assertion asylum.

The Frontex bureau reportedly recovered that, based connected the disposable evidence, betwixt 10 and 20 “third-country nationals” were acting nether the acquisition of Greek officers. The study says the men subjected migrants to carnal and verbal abuse, including decease threats, rape threats, intrusive and sexualized assemblage searches, beatings, stabbings, restraint and theft of idiosyncratic property.

Frontex study concluded that the radical was past forcibly returned to Turkey successful usurpation of EU quality rights law. Greek authorities denied that immoderate migrants from that radical were contiguous successful the country connected that day.

Hearing grounds points to organized coordination

The BBC further reports that allegations astir constabulary usage of mercenaries surfaced successful a 2024 disciplinary proceeding involving 5 borderline guards who are awaiting proceedings connected corruption charges. The guards contradict those charges.

In excerpts seen by the broadcaster, immoderate guards openly referred to the mercenaries arsenic “boatmen.” One defender said that successful 2020 his superiors instructed him to find boatmen to transportation retired pushbacks due to the fact that Covid restrictions and tensions with Turkish authorities made the occupation riskier for constabulary themselves. He besides said the strategy was already operating successful confederate Evros.

According to the BBC, proceeding grounds showed that guards communicated done the Viber messaging app. They allegedly utilized the coded operation “X persons to the cognition by Special Team” to awesome a pushback. Witnesses besides said officers had accusation that these “illegal migrant boatmen” were taking migrants into the woods, raping women and stealing money. According to the testimony, officials raised those allegations with higher-ranking officers.

Former enlistee says constabulary gave him nary existent choice

The BBC spoke to a Moroccan antheral identified arsenic Marwan, who said constabulary recruited him successful 2020 aft taking him from a jailhouse compartment afloat of migrants caught entering Evros. He recalled a Greek serviceman asking whether helium wanted to enactment with him.

Marwan said helium felt helium had nary existent choice. He said helium feared a beating if helium refused. He told the broadcaster that helium lived successful an aged situation compartment with different mercenaries and spent astir 10 weeks moving astatine the border.

His tasks, helium said, included ferrying migrants backmost to Turkey, checking boats for punctures and burning leftover belongings to destruct evidence. He besides alleged that the recruiting serviceman collected phones and euros from the radical and adjacent offered to instrumentality the mercenaries to prostitutes. Marwan said helium believed helium was based astir Soufli successful cardinal Evros.

Although helium insisted helium ne'er bushed anyone, Marwan told the BBC that helium often witnessed unit by some mercenaries and Greek officers, particularly adjacent the river. He said the attraction of migrants near him “completely destroyed.”

Greece denies cognition of alleged usage of migrants successful Evros arsenic unit grows

Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the BBC successful March that helium was “totally unaware” of allegations that migrants were being utilized successful pushbacks. At the aforesaid time, helium said Greece was protecting its borders. He besides argued that European leaders were determined not to repetition what helium described arsenic past mistakes that had allowed a monolithic influx of migrants and refugees.

Frontex rejected suggestions that it turns a unsighted oculus to rights violations. The bureau told the broadcaster that it works to assistance guarantee lawful borderline absorption portion supporting countries nether pressure.

Maria Gavouneli, president of Greece’s National Commission for Human Rights, told the BBC that the findings could magnitude to an “extremely significant” maltreatment of quality rights. According to the report, the committee has documented much than 100 alleged forced returns successful Evros since 2020. It besides says that portion cases person declined, dozens progressive non-Greek third-country nationals, astir precocious successful October 2025.

Greece’s ministry of Citizen extortion rejects the allegations of migrants’ pushbacks successful Evros

After work of the investigation, sources astatine Greece’s Ministry of Citizen Protection rejected claims that mercenaries acting nether constabulary orders pushed backmost refugees and migrants astatine the country’s onshore borderline with Turkey. “The extortion of the country’s borders is carried retired wrong the model of international, EU and nationalist law, with afloat respect for cardinal rights and quality dignity,” ministry sources said.

According to the aforesaid sources, the allegations cited successful the study and linked to incidents said to person taken spot nether the caretaker authorities successful 2023 “are based chiefly connected testimonies and secondary material, which cannot beryllium verified.”

The sources added that Greek authorities person repeatedly responded to akin claims successful caller years “with clarity and documentation.” They argued that comparable reports and publications trust chiefly connected grounds and secondary grounds that cannot beryllium independently confirmed. They besides said assessments often remainder connected converging complaints alternatively than demonstrable proof.

The sources concluded that migration absorption remains a analyzable challenge, particularly successful high-pressure areas specified arsenic the European Union’s outer borders. They said Greece continues to conscionable that situation portion upholding legality and its planetary obligations.  They besides said the competent authorities stay disposable to supply grounds and assistance immoderate organization process aimed astatine ensuring transparency and an nonsubjective appraisal of the facts.