Turkish coast guard accuses Greek counterpart of pushbacks

Turkey’s coast guard on Monday issued a statement accusing its Greek counterpart of pushbacks, saying that “Greece is responsible for every single irregular migrant who dies on these dangerous crossings.”

The statement, in which the Turkish Coast Guard claims to have witness testimonies to back claims of violent pushbacks at the Greek sea border with Turkey, came after Greece’s migration minister, Notis Mitarakis, pointed the finger at the neighboring country for two wrecks over the weekend off the islands of Mykonos and Rhodes, where more than 160 migrants were rescued and several are feared dead. 

“The stories of irregular migrants rescued by the Turkish coast guard in almost all pushback incidents continue to reveal to the world’s public opinion how Greece disregards the lives of migrants and pushes them back into Turkish territorial waters,” the Turkish coast guard was quoted by Daily Sabah as saying in the statement. 

“Many migrants were beaten, handcuffed, had their valuables taken, their boat engines taken, their petrol hoses cut and even their hands handcuffed and thrown into the sea, without care for women or children, and are brought back to life with the successful search and rescue operations organized by our command,” the statement added.