According to information published by the Turkish coast guard, a group of 12 people was captured on the island of Chios, after they had arrived on a boat from Turkey together with 27 others.
Before being forced back out to sea, they were taken to an unknown location, stripped of their belongings and beaten by 10 masked men. One of them was taken away in a car, “we could see him being taken away” one of the victims explained, “we think they had killed him”.
In a video testimony, one of the victims explains how 11 of them were taken back out and thrown into the sea by Greek coast guard, without life vests, some in handcuffs.
At 10.05 yesterday morning Turkish coast guard found 8 people on the island of Karaada, 16 kilometers from Chios, one body had washed up on shore, two people was reported missing. A search and rescue operation was initiated to locate the two missing, as a result two more bodies was found in the area.
Yesterday the local online news Astraparis published about a group of 10 people spotted in the area of Tholos, Chios north east.
A total of 21 people was located in the area and taken to the quarantine structure in Lefkonia, according to official registration published by Greek authorities.
Question is, are these two cases linked?
The pushback victims claims they had traveled to Chios together with 27 other people. 21 people was found and registered, 12 was taken by police, that would leave 6 people not accounted for.
What happened to the man taken away by police from the group of 12, and who were the two women who handed them over to the police? Many questions will remain unanswered, due to lack of verifiable documentation.
The answers might be found amongst the 21 taken to the quarantine structure in Lefkonia, Chios. If what the survivors claims is correct, we are looking at not only attempted murder, but also the murder of at least three people.
That people have been thrown directly into the sea with handcuffs by the hands of the Greek coast guard, is unfortunate not new. This we have heard many times before, both from the Turkish coast guard, but mostly from victims, people who have survived this cruel and inhuman treatment.
If this is what happened in this case, we honestly can’t say for sure. The information we have so far is pointing in that direction, but so far not conclusive.
Sunday afternoon another body was found outside Palios, Lesvos north east, it was in such stat that gender was not possible to determine. The body was transferred to the General hospital in Mytilíni.
People continues to die in the Aegean Sea while searching for safety in Europe.