Aegean Boat Report

Since the start of 2024, 228 people have been arrested under suspicion of being ‘people smugglers’, a 53% increase compared to 2023, according to Hellenic Coast Guard official data.

If the people arrested had in fact been real hardcore smugglers, criminals whose only goal was to make money on others misery, I guess most of us would welcome this “achievement”. Unfortunately, most of those arrested are neither criminals nor smugglers.

In most cases – I’m not saying all, but most – the smugglers who sell spaces on boats simply do not travel on them themselves, especially in the case of rubber dinghies and small boats.

Instead, when people are getting on the boat, one of the refugees, normally a male, perhaps the last one onboard, or someone who looks capable enough to handle it, is told to steer the boat. They may be given a short instruction if they have no prior experience with boats, and pointed in the right direction.

There is no time to argue, everything must happen quickly to avoid detection, and suddenly the person is sitting there with the responsibility to get everyone across safely.

They are not paid to do this task, and most likely had no choice. They may even have tried to refuse, but are ‘persuaded’ by the real smuggler, carrying a gun.

In other cases, especially with larger vessels and sailboats, the real smugglers start by driving the boat, but before entering Greek waters, they abandon the vessel, and are picked up by a speedboat. The people on board are left on their own.

Those people are left with few options. Someone has to try to steer, as the alternative if nobody takes responsibility is that everyone could drown.

When arriving on the Greek islands or rescued by the coast guard in Greek waters, passengers are asked “who steered the boat”?” Fingers are easily pointed towards the one randomly picked by the smuggler on the Turkish shore, or the one brave and resourceful enough to have rescued all the other passengers. This person is then arrested, and charged with smuggling.

If a refugee with no experience in seafaring tries everything they can to prevent a shipwreck, but fails, and the boat goes down, they will be charged with “illegal transportation of third-country nationals into Greek territory” (smuggling), and with aggravating circumstances of endangering the life of people onboard.

If someone dies, which is often the case with shipwrecks, they will also be charged with causing the deaths.

Greek prisons are packed with thousands of people charged and convicted for smuggling. Most are not smugglers at all, just normal refugees trying to reach safety in Europe, but used as a tool of deterrence so that others would think twice before doing the same.

These charges against refugees arriving on the Greek islands have been used systematically by the Greek state for several years as a deterrent.

The Greek legislation used considers any person found to have driven a vehicle across Greek borders carrying people seeking protection to be a smuggler.

The arrests that follow these often-unfounded accusations of smuggling are arbitrary, and the trials flout basic standards of fairness. Police officers might accuse the person holding the tiller of steering the boat, the one who communicated with the coast guard to call for help, or simply anyone who speaks English, of being a smuggler.

Without sufficient evidence, they are usually arrested upon arrival, and kept in pre-trial detention – in jail – for several months.

When their case finally comes to court, their trials last on average only 30 minutes. The average prison sentence is 44 years, and some people have been jailed for more than 150 years.

Even those who are fined are deliberately done so in a way which means they can never ever pay: some people have been fined a ludicrous €400,000.

This is an obvious total lack of fair trial standards which would be expected in a European country.

When these cases have been taken up by real lawyers afterwards, sentences have been drastically reduced, and in many cases people have been released for time already served. But there are thousands of people in Greek prisons, who will never get a fair trial, and will spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

Most of these boats carrying people trying to seek protection on the Greek islands, come from Turkey, so if the smugglers were piloting the boats, it would perhaps be logical that at least some of the arrested would be Turkish nationals.

So, it’s interesting to note that none of the 228 people arrested for smuggling so far in 2024 were Turkish, while seven of them were Greek nationals.

In most cases, the real smugglers are rarely near the boats, and in most cases not on them. An overloaded standard rubber boat on its way to the Greek islands travels at an average speed of 5-7 km/h, so it’s only meant to reach the islands, or at least Greek waters, and never intended to go back to Turkey again.

It would be a strange “business model”, if the smugglers intentionally and willingly, drove these boats over, for them to spend the rest of their lives in a Greek prison: it’s not very logical, nor plausible.

There are certainly a few exceptions. There are speedboats going back and forth between the islands and Turkey, but those are actually trying to get back home to Turkey, not fleeing in fear of their lives.

Thousands of innocent people, all male, are rotting in Greek prisons, based on the idea that to transport yourself and your family across the border, with the intention to apply for asylum, is a crime, as long as it is done in a vehicle. If you walk or swim you are all good.

The Greek government – with the backing of the wider EU and many states outside the bloc – finds it convenient, and in the case of those fined, actually lucrative, to pretend that people seeking refuge, as is their legal right, are in fact ‘people smugglers’.

The result is not only a system of dishonesty, but one in which people are not only punished and vilified for seeking safety, but are also attacked for helping to save people from death at sea.

It is far from the only thing of which Greece, the EU and the wider world should currently be ashamed. But it is certainly one, and very far from a cause for ‘celebration’ as the Greek government pretends.

The EU’s official ‘border agency’ Frontex has once again been proven to have taken part in illegal pushbacks in Greece.

A newly released Serious Incident Report (SIR) by Frontex’ own Fundamental Rights Office, details a pushback performed in February by the Greek coast guard, assisted by Bulgarian Frontex, outside Lesvos.

In previous cases where Frontex vessels have been investigated by the Fundamental Rights Office, their crew have at least admitted being on location, stopping boats carrying refugees inside Greek territorial waters, and handing them over to the Greek coast guard before leaving the scene.

But in this case, the captain of the Bulgarian Frontex vessel ‘Balchik’ straight out lied when questioned in the Fundamental Rights Office’s Serious Incident Report investigation.

At first light on 19 February this year, a boat carrying 37 people, 13 of them small children, ended up in distress in Greek waters south east of Plomari, Lesvos south.

The first vessel on scene the Bulgarian coast guard’s ‘Balchik’, funded by the EU Internal Security Fund to be stationed on Lesvos as part of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex’s Operation Poseidon.

Despite this, and despite his vessel being caught on video taking part in the pushback, the boat’s captain denied it was there, and denied that they had any encounter with migrant boats during their 19 February shift.

He did admit that the blue vessel shown in the video was the ‘Balchik’ – he had little choice – but he claimed, falsely, that the video was taken at an earlier time, during another operation in the area. He also claimed that the rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) in the video looked similar to the one carried by the ‘Balchik’, but was not theirs.

This was an extraordinary claim, not least because the RHIB in the video was carrying the Bulgarian coast guard’s Ensign. It’s very clear that the Bulgarian coast guard is lying to cover up a crime committed in cooperation with its Greek equivalent.

As is always the case, the Greek coast guard itself denied everything. It claims that: ‘The allegations are not confirmed,‘ (they are). ‘Moreover, the alleged practice does not correspond to the operational procedures of the Hellenic Coast Guard,’ (anyone who pays even the slightest shred of attention to the Hellenic Coast Guard knows very well that it corresponds to its operational procedures very closely). ‘Nor does it reflect the procedures followed for the management of incidents involving third country nationals in the area of its jurisdiction.’ (ditto).

We had expected nothing less than a total denial of this kind, as this is what the Greek Coast Guard does in all cases, even when the evidence against them is – as in this case – absolutely overwhelming.

We investigated this case, and found that there was absolutely no question who was involved or who was responsible, we published our findings on 19 May this year.

This case was also featured in the documentaries, “Dead Calm, Killing in The Med”, and “Das Frontex-Dilemma”.

One reason we knew what was happening in this case was that Aegean Boat Report was in direct contact with the refugees on board the rubber boat on that morning, 19 February. We informed and provided all necessary documents to Frontex’ Fundamental Rights Office on the same day.

On 8 March, the Office launched a Serious Incident Report (SIR 10998/24) investigation, to “clarify the circumstances and the potential role of the Frontex assets and crew in the incident.”

Their findings and conclusion were crystal clear: the group of 32 people was illegally and violently pushed back from Greek territory waters, and it’s proven without any doubt that the Bulgarian Frontex vessel ‘Balchik’ was involved.

The investigation found that ‘Balchik”s captain falsified his mission report on return to shore, leaving out the encounter with the boat carrying refugees deep inside Greek waters, to cover up their involvement, and the crime committed by their Greek counterparts.

The Office’s report states: “Correct and complete operational reporting is essential to the proper functioning of Frontex joint operations to ensure accountability and enable follow-up, particularly in a context where reports of alleged fundamental rights violations are frequent.

“Against this backdrop, the Fundamental Rights Office notes with concern that the mission report from the captain of the Bulgarian Frontex vessel ‘Balchik’ is incomplete, as it does not mention any encounters with migrant boats in the shift under scrutiny.

“Officers of the ‘Balchik’ repeatedly stated they have no recollection of such encounter despite having confirmed earlier that the vessel shown in the footage is theirs.”

We do not know Bulgarian law, but we would be surprised if falsifying official documents is legal in Bulgaria. It certainly is not elsewhere in the EU, and we cannot help but wonder whether ‘Balchik”s captain will be charged for his crime, even as we fear he will instead be more likely to receive recommendations and a medal for a ‘job well done’.

The simple reality, confirmed by the Frontex Fundamental Rights Office, is that the refugees’ boat was in Greek waters. They were intercepted, their lives were put at risk by the Greek coast guard, they were subjected to a prohibited collective expulsion, and both Frontex and the Greek coast guard deliberately covered up their crime by filing incorrect and incomplete information in their mission reports.

These Frontex reports are not publicly available, but it is of utmost importance that what they contain – proof and clear statements of lawbreaking by publicly funded uniformed services – is seen by the world. They are in the public interest, and we have again decided to publish the entire report.

This report proves again that Greek authorities, supported by Frontex, are involved in and responsible for human rights violations in the Aegean Sea.

We must ask: will Frontex’ head Hans Leijtens finally take responsibility? He promised when he took office, replacing the disgraced Fabrice Leggeri, now somehow a member of the European Parliament despite having been forced to resign in shame having broken international law as head of Frontex, to govern the agency’s work with three principles: accountability, respect for fundamental rights, and transparency. He has failed, miserably.

We wonder if Leijtens will, since he said he was responsible for the agency’s activities, actually, take responsibility for its illegal acts, performed by its officers under Operation Poseidon. Will he resign from his well-paid post as head of Frontex?

At the absolute best, Leijtens has made no significant changes at Frontex, and created zero meaningful improvements. In the most flattering of all possible lights, he is nothing more than a puppet doing the EU Commission’s bidding. He is a bad reflection of Leggeri; perhaps in new wrapping, but containing the same poison Fabrice always had.

Leijtens is far from the only person of whom questions must be asked, however.  

It is clear that the Greek government is insufficiently honest to admit its serial law-breaking, but we must also ask when the European Commission will take seriously its responsibility for the rule of law and fundamental rights in Europe?

We demand the Commission immediately launches infringement proceedings against the Greek government for systematic and widespread human rights violations, and we demand the cessation of all Frontex operations in Greece, in accordance with article 46 of the Frontex regulation.

We must also note that this case – and the few others like it – are only the tip of the iceberg. It is only when organisations can present solid data on pushbacks that the Fundamental Rights Office will even investigate incidents, let alone declaring guilt.

But the cases where evidence has been presented have resulted in a series of confirmations of Frontex involvement in illegal pushbacks from Greece: it is extremely clear that Frontex is deeply involved in human rights violations.

The case also highlights another worrying reality.

There are very few organisations – perhaps only one – which takes the time to document these cases properly, and share its findings in detail with the publick.

It’s actually dangerous, as the founder of Aegean Boat Report has discovered. Those who seek and dare to report the truth are targeted by Greek authorities, who go to extreme lengths in their efforts to try to silence their critics.

If Aegean Boat Report hadn’t brought this, and many previous, cases to the attention of the FRO, they would never have been investigated.

If this organization hadn’t for years documented and pushed these cases to journalists, the attention paid to these crimes would have been far less.

But Aegean Boat Report, which has worked tirelessly and systematically, contributing an exceptional amount of the light shed on the Greek government’s astonishing human rights violations in the Aegean Sea, is regarded an outcast in the humanitarian community, without any official support from organisations working on the ground.

Due to systematic targeting by Greek authorities, we are now also without financial support, and in imminent danger of being forced to close down.

Who will pick up the ball if we close down?

Most likely nobody.

Who would benefit most?

Definitely not the people on the move.

This is where we are heading.

Aegean Boat Report is currently running on fumes. We cannot continue to do our work without your help.

To support our work and help us continue saving lives in the Aegean, please donate through PayPal by clicking on the link below 👇

Thank You for Your Support.

This summer, the Greek Coastguard has escalated its illegal and vicious violence against people travelling to seek safety, by opening fire on boats carrying men, women and children, including shooting one man dead.

How much more has to happen, and for how long, before the EU pays attention, and takes action against this horrifying practice? 

For many years, people of different nationalities and from all walks of life, have tried to reach safety in Europe by crossing from Turkey to Greece’s Aegean Islands, in flimsy rubber boats.

The trip might appear easy: the distance from Turkey to the islands is in some places only a few kilometres. But there are many hidden dangers lurking, and most of them are not due to the often treacherous sea.

In the last five years, countries who have experienced huge increases in arrivals of refugees, including Spain, Malta, Italy and Greece, have tried different methods – some legal, most absolutely illegal – to reduce arrivals to their shores. In many cases, this has resulted in more people dying in the attempt to reach Europe.

On land, countries wishing to break the law believe fences and walls can be efficient, despite the clear failures of ‘the wall’ former US president Donald Trump claimed he would build. At sea, they aren’t even an option.

The solution hit upon by governments of coastal countries when they wish to break the law, is to turn boats carrying people seeking protection in Europe, around at sea, towing boats out of their waters, removing people after they have arrived on land, placing them in life rafts at sea, refusing to rescue boats carrying refugees in distress in their SAR Zones, taking legal action against rescue boats and banning them from operating, and providing dictatorships and even failed or failing states like Libya with funding and equipment to stop people from leaving the country.

There are deals the European Union has made to prevent people moving, including funding the so-called Libyan coast guard (in practice, as the EU is well aware, nothing but a sea-militia armed and equipped by the EU), the EU-Turkey deal, and numerous deals with African countries.

The simple fact is that people’s right to leave their country if they are in or believe they may soon face danger is not considered important. What the EU believes is important is that those people must be prevented – including by breaking the law – from arriving on EU soil.

Article 13.2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: “Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country… in accordance with UN human rights practices”.

Its Article 14 states: “Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.”

The 1951 Refugee Convention, of which every EU rule related to people movement opens by claiming not to be in any way in contravention, defines refugees as: “(any person who) owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.”

And in its address to the United Kingdom government regarding the right to asylum under the law (UNHCR: UNHCR Observations on the New Plan for Immigration policy
statement of the Government of the United Kingdom, May 2021), UNHCR, the world authority on refugee rights and the law relating to people seeking safety, noted: “The right to seek and enjoy asylum does not depend on the (means by which) an asylum-seeker arrives to a country.  In reality, asylum-seekers are often forced to arrive at or enter a territory without prior authorisation.

“In order to meet their obligations under the 1951 Convention, States are required to grant individuals seeking asylum access to their territory and to fair and efficient procedures, before taking action to effect their removal.”

These are laws signed up to by every EU member state – indeed, by almost every state in the world.

Nowhere in these laws is there a provision that allows government-employees or anyone else to beat, rob from, sexually assault, torture, or forcibly push back people attempting to reach safety: these are illegal acts, which the Greek Coastguard has been carrying out for more than four years.

And certainly, these laws do not contain a provision allowing the firing on boats carrying men, women and children trying to reach safe places to live.

Yet that is precisely what the Greek Coastguard has been doing for the last three months: starting in May this year, it has four times opened fire on boats carrying men, women and children who have broken no law and are exercising their legal right to travel to seek safety.

The EU and its member states have, in the last decade, made a grave out of the Mediterranean – the sea the Romans once called ‘Mare Nostrum’ – ‘our sea’.

IOM’s Missing Migrants projects lists at least 28,000 people as having drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe since 2014. At least some, and arguably a very large proportion, of these deaths are directly linked to national authorities failing to carry out search and rescue efforts, and carrying out illegal pushbacks.

There are simply – and shamefully – far tragedies involving people on the move in ‘Our Sea’ to list here.

But some of the major ones include:

• In March 2009, more than 200 African people drowned after their boat sank off the coast of Libya
• In October 2013, 366 people, mostly Eritrean, died when their boat caught fire and sank near Lampedusa
• In August 2014, around 170 people were feared dead after another boat sank off Libya
• In September 2014, more than 500 people died after their boat sank off the Malta coast
• In June 2023, more than 650 people died off the coast of Pylos, Greece, after the Greek authorities tried to tow an overcrowded fishing vessel into the Italian SAR Zone

These large shipwrecks get huge coverage by the international press, but this attention does not last: most are never properly investigated, and are soon forgotten. They and those killed within them become just another number in the statistics, in the list of the dead in Our Sea.

And those are the large disasters.

Most shipwrecks are small, and are never investigated, nor mentioned by the press. It is an inescapable fact that they have become ‘normal’, just another shipwreck, killing just another group of people the EU and its members states do not want, and do not want us even to think of as people.

And in the last three months, specifically at the hands of the Greek Coastguard, violence towards people seeking protection in Europe has escalated even further.

It’s no longer enough, it seems, for the Coastguard (seldom has a title been so poorly-deserved) to push them back and leave them helplessly drifting at sea, now it seems to be ok to open fire on men, women and children.

In the last three months, there have been at least four shootings by the Greek coast guard against boats carrying refugees, sending several people to hospital, and killing one.

These incidents were:

• On May 30, the Greek Coastguard fired against a boat carrying 25 refugees outside Chios, claiming the boat was manoeuvring dangerously. One person ended up in hospital with gunshot injuries. No official information was provided by the coast guard
• On July 5, the Greek Coastguard opened fire on a boat carrying 24 people outside Chios, claiming that the boat refused to stop, and was manoeuvring dangerously. In this case, the smuggler onboard returned fire, before heading back towards Turkey.
• On July 20, the Greek Coastguard opened fire on a boat carrying 15 people outside Chios, claiming that the boat refused to stop, and was manoeuvring dangerously. One person was transported to hospital with a bullet wound. The Greek Coastguard issued a press release in which it left out the shooting altogether
• On August 23, the Greek Coastguard opened fire against a boat carrying refugees outside Simi, claiming the boat refused to stop, and was manoeuvring dangerously. The Coastguard’s shooting killed one man, who was shot in the head by the armed officers

As you will have noted, in every one of these cases, case the Greek Coastguard has claimed the boats carrying refugees have “manoeuvred dangerously”, putting their (the Coastguard) vessel “at risk”.

It is unfortunate that the Greek Coastguard has earned itself such a reputation for, let us say “misleading people about events in which it has been involved”, because it appears the agency is now demanding that we simply take its word as truth on each of these shootings.

Because although the Greek Coastguard has a legal responsibility to get everything on video, so that what it does is documented in case something goes wrong, in every incident of the Coastguard shooting at boats carrying refugees, and the men, women and children inside them, all its video equipment seems to have been malfunctioning.

This is very unfortunate.

The Greek Coastguard has not provided one single piece of evidence that boats carrying refugees, which the Coastguard has opened fire on, have been “manoeuvring dangerously”.

In fact, the videos that do exist, and Frontex investigations, show that it’s the Greek Coastguard vessels which are manoeuvring dangerously, putting the lives of refugees at risk.

And sadly, the Greek media has been seemingly happy to back the Coastguard in its misreporting of these events.

In the August 23 incident, in which the Coastguard shot a man in the head and killed him, it claimed – entirely without evidence – that “a smuggler” tried to sink their vessel, and so they were acting “in self-defence”.

The Coastguard did not explain how a rubber boat could possibly sink a coast guard vessel, which seems… difficult, to say the least.

In its broadcast regarding the killing, Greek national media, including Star News, used background footage not of the incident in which the man was killed, but footage from the July 5 incident off Chios, in which a people-smuggler returned fire at the Coastguard. Star never once mentioned that the video was from a totally different case, instead leaving the viewer to consider that perhaps the killing of the man at Simi – or at least the Coastguard’s claim of ‘self-defence’ – was somehow justified.

To back the Greek Coastguard, the news media deliberately misled their viewers: less ‘informing’ and more ‘misinforming’ the Greek public.

In most of the four incidents, the Coastguard claimed it was only firing warning shots in safe sectors, or shooting to disable the engine, as a last resort in self-defence.

But as we already noted: what kind of danger could a rubber boat carrying men, women and children possibly pose to a Coastguard vessel?

And to try to hit a small engine from a distance without hitting people sitting next to it would take an excellent marksman, using a sniper rifle. But the Coastguard is using handguns and assault rifles, ‘aiming at’ a very small target on a moving rubber boat, while the shooter is standing also on a moving vessel. It’s basically impossible to safely make such a shot. Yet, they are ‘attempting’ it.

To open fire on a boat filled with men, women and children, just because they refuse to stop, or there is a smuggler suspected to be onboard, shows a total lack of respect for human lives: extreme, illegal, violent and murderous measures by Greek authorities in the name of ‘border protection’.

And of course, it’s a new and dangerous escalation: if one side is using firearms, the other side, in this case a real smuggler, will potentially bring a gun to be able to fire back.

Law enforcement should be attempting to de-escalate potentially violent situations, to protect the lives of innocent people.

The problem is that Greek authorities have repeatedly shown, and Greek politicians repeatedly stated, that they do not see refugees as innocent. They wrongly claim – in fact pretend – that they are criminals, and openly state that they are not wanted, and can and should be stopped by all means possible.

This now appears to include cold-blooded killing.

We should also point out that on the vast majority of boats crossing from Turkey towards Greece, there are no smugglers onboard, only refugees.

In these cases, one or more refugees are ordered to drive the boat: when they arrive in Greece, they are arrested and charged with human trafficking, facing long prison sentences.

The Greek government gives every indication it believes that lying about people’s actions and identities to break the law by denying people their right to enter the asylum system, is a small price to pay for – in fact, an added bonus in – preventing people from outside Greece from entering the country.   

More than 2,000 refugees are locked up in Greek prisons, because they steered a boat bringing people to safety.

Meanwhile, the Greek Coastguard has been investigated numerous times by the EU border agency Frontex for human rights violations. Greek authorities categorically deny any involvement, but the investigations have consistently found that in fact, the Greek Coastguard has consistently violated the rights of men, women and children attempting to reach Greece by sea.

These systematic crimes by the Greek authorities have been documented by EU bodies, journalists and organizations for years. Still, there has been no reaction from the European Commission: it’s as if it is still pretending these things are not happening.

In only one previous case – when the government of Victor Orban had been violently and illegally victimising and harming refugees entering Hungary – has Frontex acted on its duty to halt funding or operations or cancel a planned operation because of serious and persistent violations of fundamental rights related to its activities.

Even this came only after years of warnings and an EU court ruling.

The illegal, barbaric, behaviour of the Greek government and its employees towards people traveling to seek safety has now been ongoing for four years.

In this period, Frontex’ Fundamental Rights Officer (FRO), Jonas Grimheden, has repeatedly called for the agency to suspend operations in Greece due to systematic violations of fundamental rights. His calls have so far not been acted upon.

And in fact, nothing whatsoever has been done.

The EU Commission behaves as if it knows nothing, while the EU Parliament’s EPP group, to which Greece’s governing Nea Dimokratia party belongs, pretends there is nothing to know.

This summer, the Greek Coastguard added to its record of killing people by illegally pushing them away from Greece, or illegally pulling them into another country’s Search and Rescue Zone, the killing of people seeking safety by shooting them.

There is no justification for the EU sitting back and doing nothing about this. But if it needs a justification to act to end this disgusting practice – other than the obvious, that human life is sacred and must be our prime priority – it should consider this: if gunfire is normalised against people fleeing for their lives, how soon will it be normalised for those people to respond in kind?

The Greek government, and the Coastguard it uses as an attack-force against civilians exercising their legal rights, is creating a fire-fight on the Mediterranean. It is a chapter we – the EU Commission included – must prevent being opened in Our Sea. 

Frontex involvement in illegal pushbacks in Greece, are ones again proven, this time in a newly released serious Incident Report(SIR) by Frontex own Fundamental Rights Office, from a pushback performed by Greek coast guard outside Lesvos, assisted by Latvian Frontex.

In the afternoon of 25 January, a boat carrying 38 people, all Afghans, had almost reached land in the north of Lesvos, when they were stopped by Latvian Frontex and two vessels from the Greek Coast guard, and illegally pushed back to Turkey.

Greek authorities denied any involvement, as usual, and claimed that they only stopped a boat from entering Greek territory waters, or as they put it, a “prevention of departure”.

We published about this case on May 13, and the case has also been featured in several documentaries.

On February 2, Frontex Fundamental Rights Office launched a Serious Incident Report(SIR 10463/2024), to “clarify allegations of use of violence at sea and a collective expulsion of migrants”.

Their findings and conclusion is crystal clear, the group was illegally and violently pushed back from Greek territory waters by the Greek coast guard, assisted by the Latvian Frontex vessel.

Latvian Frontex then covered up for the Greek authorities in their mission report, so that the crime could go unnoticed, business as usual in the Aegean Sea.

“The Office notes with regret that reporting of the incident by the Frontex vessel crew in the mission report, as well as by the Greek authorities in**, was incomplète and incorrect, with missing information about the migrants’ presence in Greece, and the second handover of the Incident from Frontex to HCG”

The boat was in Greek waters, they were intercepted, their lives were put at risk on several occasions by the Greek coast guard, they were subjected to a prohibited collective expulsion, and both Frontex and the Greek coast guard deliberately covered up the crime by putting incorrect and incomplete information in their mission reports.

Since these Frontex reports are not publicly available, and have a high public interest, we have again decided to publish the entire report. It is of the utmost importance that the these reports are made available to everyone, and not only seen by EU politicians and journalists.

Greek authorities, supported by Frontex, have again been proven to be involved and responsible for human rights violations in the Aegean Sea. The question is, what will Frontex management board and the European Commission do to stop this?

We demand that the European Commission immediately launch infringement proceedings against Greece for systematic and widespread human rights violations, and we demand the ceasing of all Frontex operations in Greece in accordance to article 46 of the Frontex regulation.

In the morning of Tuesday, August 20, a group of 22 people, 17 adults and 5 children, contacted Aegean Boat Report for assistance, after they had arrived on the Greek island of Farmakonisi in the Dodecanese.

The group was scared, and asked for assistance, so that they could be taken to the nearest port of safety, provided with food, water and medicine attention, and given the opportunity to apply for asylum in accordance with international law.

The problem was that they had arrived on a desert island, and the only people present were military personnel from the base on the island, and the only way off this island was to inform Greek authorities.

Farmakonisi is a small uninhabited Greek island in the Dodecanese, present only a Greek military garrison.

The group provided pictures, videos and geolocation data, that proved without a doubt that they were on Farmakonisi.

We advised them to go to the military station, to make their presence known, not because it’s a safe solution, it’s definitely not, but because it’s the only solution on this island, and that they first contacted 112 and informed that they were on the island.

As far as we know they didn’t go to the military base, they said they had several people in the group with mobility issues, especially an old man with heart problems.

They said “ we called 112 and they told us that we should stay in our location, help would come to us”, this was the last we heard from the group, after that, all five phones they had used to contact us with went offline, time was 10.11 am.

We assumed that the military personnel on the island had been informed, and that they had located the group, who was hiding in the bushes a short distance from the base.

Normally, when people have been found on the island, they are taken to a fenced in area down by the dock, only shelter is an old shed, no toilets, no water. We assume this was also done in this case.

People are locked up until a coast guard vessel arrives to take them off the island, preferably they would then be taken to the camp on Leros. Unfortunately, in many cases when people have arrived on Farmakonisi, they never end up in any Greek camp, but in a life rafts drifting in the middle of the sea.

We searched for information about the group on Leros, unfortunately, we were not able to locate them, a group of 26 had arrived on Leros, but they had come from a different location, and not from Farmakonisi.

Just after midnight on Wednesday August 21, Turkish coast guard found and rescued 22 people, 17 adults and 5 children, from a life raft drifting outside Bodrum, Turkey.

Turkish authorities could inform us that they had received a email from the Greek coast guard, informing them about a group of people drifting inside Turkish territory waters. You can ask yourself how did the Greek coast guard know, if they hadn’t been involved?

This is the normal routine, whenever Greek coast guard leave people drifting in life rafts in the Aegean Sea, they send a email to inform the Turkish coast guard. Over the last four years thousands of these emails have been sent, and every single time people are being found drifting in life rafts. So ask yourself, how does the Greek coast guard know?..

When we compare pictures and videos sent to us from the group on Farmakonisi, with the pictures and videos taken by the Turkish coast guard from the rescue operation outside Bodrum, there is absolutely no doubt, it is the same group.

22 people, men, women, small children and elderly people, where captured on Farmakonisi by Greek authorities, robbed, kidnapped, locked up, taken back out to sea, transported by a Greek coast guard vessel 32 nautical miles, forced into a life raft, and left helplessly drifting in the middle of the sea in the dark.

14 hours after we lost contact with them on Farmakonisi, they were found drifting in a life raft. Greek authorities probably expect us to believe that they suddenly got the urge to go back to Turkey, found a fully functioning life raft, and paddled with their shoos 32 nautical miles back to Turkey.

It’s clear as day what happened here, and who is responsible, strangely enough, Greek authorities categorically denies any involvement. These pushback cases have been documented and proven hundreds of times by journalists, organizations, EU bodies and Frontex, but they just continue to deny it.

In the last four years 1.600 life rafts have been found drifting in the Aegean Sea, carrying over 27.000 people, not ones have the EU Commission raised concerns over this “phenomenon”, not ones has there been launched independent investigations, it has not even been discussed. You should ask yourself why, it’s definitely not because they don’t know what is going on, or the lack of evidence.

To look the other way while crimes against humanity are being committed, to deny it’s existence even do the facts speaks for itself, is unconscionable. The European Commission is not only suppressing these crimes, they are financing it with European taxpayers money, and deliberately covering up for the Greek authorities.

Europeans seem to have learned nothing from crimes committed in our names in recent history.

It’s time to stand up, it’s time to raise our voices and say “not in our name, not anymore, never again!”

All original evidence in this case, and previous cases, will be made available for journalists, researchers, lawyers, independent investigators, national and international bodies, upon official request. We have nothing to hide, but they do.

Tuesday night, August 13, a sailboat reported to be carrying 87 people, 72 adults and 15 children, contacted Aegean Boat Report for assistance after they ended up in distress 14 nautical miles south east of Syrna in the Dodecanese.

The Smugler originally driving the boat, had left on a small speedboat, and headed back to the Turkish shore before sundown. Engine was no longer working due to flooding in the engine room, they were drifting and needed assistance. Weather in the area was reported to be rough, windy and high waves.

We immediately informed the appropriate authorities, the Hellenic coast guard, and provided all necessary information, so that the sailboat could be located, and people onboard could be taken to the nearest port of safety.

We maintained contact with the boat for over three hours, they appeared to be very scared, and told that they believed that the boat would sink. We tried to ensure them that help was on the way, and that they soon would be rescued.

The Hellenic coast guards search and rescue center informed us that a vessel had been dispatched to the area, but so far not located the sailboat. We could only hope that they reached them in time, but to the people onboard, to try to keep their spirits up, we told them that they would soon be rescued.

At midnight all contact with the people onboard the sailboat was lost, and the Greek coast guard, who previously had been very helpful, suddenly didn’t want to provide any information, not even confirming that they had received the information in the first place, nor sent any vessel to the area.

We didn’t know what had happened to the sailboat and the people onboard, and could only hope that they had been rescued. The coast guard, who is the only who could assist them, were no longer interested in providing any information, there were no others we could turn to.

The following day, at 11.30, the Turkish coast guard found and rescued 87 people from four life rafts drifting inside Turkish territory waters south west of Didim.

When comparing pictures and videos received from the people onboard the sailboat the previous night, with the footage taken by the Turkish coast guard under the rescue operation, we could confirm, without any doubt, that the people in the life rafts came from the sailboat.

We were of course relieved that that the group hadn’t drowned, but at the same time appalled that a coast guard, who has sworn an oath to protect life at sea, could treat other human beings in such a despicable way. First rescue them, then force men, women and children into life rafts, and leave them helplessly drifting in the middle of the sea.

87 people, 15 of them small children, was “rescued” by the Greek coast guard, transported on a coast guard vessel, (most likely financed by the European Union) and left drifting in 4 life rafts (most likely paid for by EU) in the middle of the sea. They were transported 62 nautical miles before being forced into these life rafts, the efforts put into this is enormous, there is absolutely no doubt who is responsible.

If this had been a one time occurrence it would indeed have been shocking, major headlines in the international press, “Coast guard abandoning refugees at sea”, because it’s basically illegal. If a civilian vessel had placed people in life rafts and left them at sea, both crew and captain would have ended up in jail for attempted murder.

But as we all know, this is not a one time occurrence, this is happening every single day in the Aegean Sea, where Greek Coast Guard risks the lives of thousands of vulnerable people, men, women and children, seeking protection at Europe’s borders. And since this is happening every single day, it has become normal, no longer of any interest for the press.

Monday August 12, another sailboat was stopped by the Greek coast guard deep inside Greek territory waters, a group of 100 people, 20 of them small children, was left drifting in five life raft in the middle of the night inside Turkish waters north east of Rhodes.

Just to understand the scale of this, the systematic approach by the Greek authorities and the European Commission, it’s necessary to use numbers. Over the last four years 86.000 people have been illegally pushed back by Greek authorities in the Aegean Sea, 27.000 of them were found drifting in 1.600 life rafts abandoned at sea by the Greek coast guard.

1.600 life rafts, packed with people, men, women and children, abandoned at sea by a European country, member of the EU, and not one single investigation has been conducted by the European Commission into these crimes, it’s just totally unbelievable.

Some might find it strange that these kinds of atrocities is happening in Europe, but as long as there are no consequences for the people responsible, in this case the Greek authorities, it will continue, and not only that, it will increase, as a result more people will die.

We could conveniently put all responsibility on the Greek authorities, since they are a sovereign nation, and are the ones performing these crimes. But they would have no chance pulling this off by themselves, they basically lack the resources.

Behind the scenes The European Commission is pulling the strings, providing all necessary equipment, manpower and funding. At the same time they refuse to open infringement proceedings against Greece, or start independent investigation into these hideous crimes, claiming it is the responsibility of the Greek authorities to investigate themselves.

The guardian of the treaties is no longer guarding, they actively and vigorously supporting the killings of thousands of people at Europe’s borders, all in the name of “border management”.

The “European way of life”, and “European values”, seems to have become only words on paper, without any real meaning, purpose or value.

We can’t avoid, and definitely shouldn’t, pointing out that Frontex, The European Border and Coust Guard Agency, is heavily involved in these widespread illegal activities at our borders. As the head of Frontex, Hans Leijtens pointed out, “if we are present we are involved”, and they most definitely present.

One would assume that Frontex involvement in illegal activities would have gone down after the former head of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, resigned in April 2022.

When Hans Leijtens took office in March 2023, he promised to stop all illegal practices and human rights abuses that had been ongoing under the his predecessor, but did that really happen?

If we compare the last 18 months under Leggeri, and the first 18 months under Leijtens, there is actually an increase of 42% in illegal pushbacks in the Aegean Sea. So instead of going down under new management, Frontex involvement in illegal pushbacks is actually drastically increasing.

If nobody is putting the spotlight on these crimes against humanity, and nobody is supporting those very few who dares to speak up against this, it will never ever end.

For those who stay silent in these dark times in fear of reprisals, for those who refuse to stand behind those who actually dare to speak up, for those who hide behind organization guidelines and policies ment for self preservation, I would like to say this;

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”

Desmond Tutu

In the morning of August 8, a boat carrying 64 people, 13 of them children, was heading from the Turkish shore towards the Greek island of Rhodes.

Deep inside Greek territory waters they were stopped by three men in a black and white RIB, all in black uniforms, carrying guns, their faces covered by masks. From their tactical gear, they are believed to be HCG Special Forces (OEA/KEA).

According to the victims, the masked men entered the yacht, forced people onboard to give them their phones, money and bags. They quickly immobilized the boat by destroying the engine, before returning to their RIB.

The masked men weren’t very thorough, several onboard managed to hide their phones. These were later used to take pictures and videos onboard, and to contact rescue services.

While the masked men had control of the boat, a large vessel from the Greek Coast Guard arrived. The masked men in the RIB tied a line between the yacht and the coast guard vessel, and the coast guard started towing the yacht while 64 people were still onboard back towards Turkish waters.

Normally this is something we rarely are able to document, in this case passengers on a nearby vessel caught the towing on video.

https://videopress.com/v/n4qG8Th0?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

The vessel in the video is identified as a Sa’ar 4 class offshore patrol vessel of the Hellenic Coast Guard, and according to testimonies from the victims, more precisely the ΛΣ 080, “Agios Efstration”, currently stationed on Rhodes. The RIB can also be seen in the video, traveling alongside the tow.

The boat was towed back into Turkish waters, and sat adrift at approximately 15.15 local time, 40 km north east of Rhodes.

Shortly after, the people onboard the drifting yacht contacted several organizations for assistance, amongst them Aegean Boat Report.

There are no rescue vessels in the Aegean Sea, so we immediately informed the Turkish SAR center and provided them with all necessary information to initiate rescue. They could inform us that they had just received a notification by email from the Greek Coast Guard, informing them of a boat adrift in this area.

According to the victims, the Greek coast guard vessel that towed them is still in the area, watching. In the video we can see a vessel in the distance, if this is the Greek coast guard we have been unable to determine.

A Turkish coast guard vessel was sent to the area, but due to mechanical problems the vessel had to return, and a new vessel had to be routed to the area.

The group was eventualy found and rescued at 20.55, they had then been drifting for almost six hours.

Strangely enough this case was not registered as a pushback by the Turkish coast guard, but as a case of “engine failure”. We find this particularly strange since they had been alerted by their Greek counterparts, and we had informed them of this pushback, still it was not registered as such.

Iin the last four months we have registered a high increase of cases where “engine failure” is registered by Turkish authorities as the cause, when they find and pick up people from boats in the Aegean Sea. In many of these cases we know that the boats have been pushed back by Greek authorities, it should be quite obvious also for the Turkish authorities, boats without engines, engine houses cut, no petrol tanks etc. But still these cases are registered as “engine failure”.

The question we ask ourselves, is why Turkish authorities are deliberately covering up for Greek pushbacks, what could possibly be the reason for this “favor”, and especially what is in it for them?

These kind of pushbacks where larger boats, speedboats, yachts, sailboats, fishing boats and cargo vessels, are being pushed back isn’t unusual, what is unusual is that this time the towing was caught on camera from another vessel.

To tow overcrowded vessels can have fatal consequences, the most publicly known is the Farmakonisi case from 2014, where 11 people drowned after their boat capsized in a pushback attempt by Greek authorities, and the Pylos shipwreck on June 14 last year, where it’s believed that 650 people died after a failed pushback attempt by the Greek Coast Guard.

Over the last five years hundreds of people have drowned in the Aegean Sea, after their boats have capsized. In many of the cases the Greek coast guard have already been on location, but according to official statements, not been directly involved or unable to rescue the boat, and “only done their utmost to save as many as they could”.

Most of these cases have never been properly investigated, and conclusions have been solely based on statements made by the Greek coast guard. In light of official statements made in known cases, in which have been proven to be false, the accuracy of these statements is highly questionable.

In this case outside Rhodes a few days ago the boat didn’t capsize, and nobody drowned. But if this towing had gone wrong, does anyone believe that Greek authorities would have taken responsibility and admitted that they had towed the yacht, causing it to capsize, very unlikely. They would immediately have claimed to rescue as many as they could, and put the blame on the people onboard and ruthless smugglers for putting people’s lives at risk.

The problem with these cases is that there are very few who document and investigate, and try to find out what really happened. Those who do are criminalized by national authorities, and lacks resources and funding to do a proper investigation.

The European Commission relies on national authorities to investigate their own crimes, no wonder nobody is held accountable.

The Commission is deliberately opposing, all and any independent investigations into these well known and documented systematic human rights violations in Greece, because they know that any truly independent investigation will uncover the truth, a truth that will force to Commission to act.

While we are waiting for the commission to act, people are being killed on a daily basis at our borders, in the name of border protection.

In the early hours of July 8, a group of 27 people arrived on the Greek island of Inousses, north east of Chios.

The group contacted several organizations to try to get assistance, amongst them Alarmphone and Aegean Boat Report.

First contact was at 05.30, they told us that everyone had managed to get safely on land, and that they needed help to be taken to a camp and apply for asylum.

The group first confirmed their presence on the island by sending their location and live location on Whatsapp. Later they also provided pictures and videos, together with a list of the 27 people who had arrived, full name, age and gender in English and Farsi.

According to Alarmphone, they informed local authorities of the presence of 27 people on Inousses, and their intention to apply for asylum in Greece, in an email sent at 06.45.

The group started walking towards a small chapel to find shelter from the sun and the heat, on their way they rested next to the road in a dried out river drainage. Her they took some pictures and a video that was sent to Aegean Boat Report, time stamp shows time to be 06.55.

This was the last we heard from the group.

According to Alarmphone, the group, while walking towards the chapel, had encountered local police, and sent a message that said “We are with the local police, do we have to be afraid?”, this was the last anyone heard from the group.

What happened next in this case we unfortunately have no details about, but from previous similar cases, we know that people are being strip searched, robbed and beaten, all while being threatened at gunpoint, before they are forced back to sea on a coast guard vessel.

During the day we several times contacted local police and coast guard to try to find out if the group had been found and rescued, strangled enough, even do they had been informed by email, they had no knowledge of anything happening in this area…

We later learned that nobody was taken to the camp on chios and registered this day, this is confirmed by official information published by the ministry.

The following morning, over 24 hours after we lost contact with the group while on Oinousses, Turkish coast guard reported that they had initiated a rescue operation on Karaada island, Çesme.

17 people had managed to get to land by their own means, one person was rescued by a local fishing vessel, while the bodies of 8 people had been found in the sea.

Due to the close proximity to Inousses, and the number of people involved, we understood that this could be the same group that we had been in contact with on Inousses. When we received the footage from the rescue operation, we no longer had any doubt, it’s without a doubt the same group.

Of the 27 people that arrived on Inousses on July 8, there were 17 adults, 4 minors and 6 children, mostly Afghans, but also some Palestinians and Iraqis.

8 of the people in this video was killed by the Greek coast guard in this brutal pushback, 5 Afghans, 2 Palestinians and a woman from Iraq, we have not been able to determine if there were any children amongst the dead.

Survivors told that they had been captured on the island by Greek police, all belongings stolen, taken back out to sea in a grey coast guard vessel and forced into a life raft close to the Turkish island of Karaada.

They had managed to paddle with their hands and reach the island, but on their way in towards the rocky shore, the fragile rubber raft hit some rocks and deflated, and people ended up in the sea, those who couldn’t swim drowned.

Greece seems to have a “license to kill” issued by the European Commission in the name of border protection. As long as vulnerable men, women and children are stopped in reaching European territory, by any means possible, killing thousands doesn’t seem to be of any concern.

The Pylos shipwreck last year, where Greek authorities killed over 650 people, amongst them over 100 children, in a failed pushback attempt, has so far not led to any reaction from the commission, no independent investigation, no infringement proceedings against Greece, it’s as it didn’t happen.

While more and more people are being killed at our borders, the European Commission, instead of trying to stop these barbaric killings, continues to poor money into these operations, no questions asked, as long as the job gets done.

I have many times asked “How many more men, women and children must be killed by Greek authorities before the European Commission takes action?”. I’m beginning to think that such number doesen’t exist, there is no limit, as long as the “right people” are being killed, nothing else matters.

This is nothing less than EU-sanctioned killings, and we are more than happy to look the other way, pretending nothing is happening.

Our deepest condolences goes out to those who lost loved ones, family and friends.

To the Greek authorities we say this, we will never forgive, never forget!

On the night of Friday 28 June, Aegean Boat Report published an emergency alert regarding a group that had arrived on the uninhabited Greek island of Vatos, north east of Chios, and was in imminent danger of being pushed back by Greek authorities.

We immediately published about this group to try to draw attention to it, so that it would have at least a fighting chance. Sometimes, publicity can persuade Greek authorities to do the right thing. This, unfortunately, was not one of those.

According to the group, the smuggler they had paid was supposed to take them to Chios, but instead left them on Vatos.

The Greek authorities were informed of their presence, and a Lambro 57 coastal patrol vessel belonging to the coast guard on Chios was observed in a small bay south east on the island, closing in on the area where the group was located.

The boat observed the group for 30 minutes before it apparently left.

The following day, Alarmphone also published about the group on Vatos, and reported that when they spoke to the coast guard, they were informed that they wouldn’t launch a rescue operation due to bad weather.

This was not true.

The Coastguard was already on the island.

Before we lost contact with the group, they told us that two men approached them, telling them: “Don’t worry, we will take you to camp, don’t worry we will help you, we can take you in our private boat to Chios”.

Not everyone understood what the men said, and many were sceptical, but Everyone was wet and cold, the children were crying, and so they had no option but to trust them. Equally, both men were wearing civilian clothes and not masks, so they decided to go with them.

Shortly after 21.00 all phones went offline, and we understood that something was about to happen.

The last message received was a picture of a man, in civilian clothes, t-shirt, shorts, sunglasses and a small bag strapped over his chest, with the text: “This is one of the men who want us to go with them”.

We didn’t quite understand who this man was at first, but found it a bit unlikely that two ‘Greek tourists’ with a boat, willing to help stranded refugees, would just happen to be walking around on this deserted island at night.

Through our contacts, we searched for someone who might have seen this man on Chios.

We were told that he was a member of the ‘special troops’ stationed on Chios, and operated on the coast guard vessels, tasked to handle “special operations”, like pushbacks, hunting for refugees, etc.

We are actually not shocked, we have seen and heard of these “special troops” for years. They often wear civilian clothes and claim to be UNHCR or MSF, only there to help. But they are more commonly behind black masks, using extreme violence in their efforts to push people back.

This time, one was caught on camera, directly linking him to a serious crime taking place on European soil: the kidnapping of 20 people, detaining them arbitrarily, exposing them to inhuman and degrading treatment and endangering their lives.

Just to be clear, we will make all original material, pictures, videos, voice messages and geolocation data, available for journalists, Greek and European independent investigators, legal teams with the intent to file charges, upon official requests to Aegean Boat Report.

All contact with the group on multiple phones was lost, and Greek authorities hadn’t located anyone on Vatos, at least officially.

Looking at registration numbers on Chios, only two people were officially registered as arriving in the following days.

On Saturday afternoon, 29 June, the following day, the Turkish coast guard found and rescued a group of 20 people, nine of them children, who were stranded on the Turkish island of Karaada, six kilometers from Vatos.

From pictures published by the Turkish coast guard, it’s clear that it’s the same group, who had arrived on Vatos the previous night and contacted among others, Aegean Boat Report.

Alarmphone also confirmed that the group had been pushed back in a life raft by Greek authorities, and left helplessly drifting in the sea.

The two men who approached the group obviously worked in cooperation with the coast guard, tricking the group to believe they would help them, so that they came willingly, walking straight into the lion’s mouth.

Instead of helping the Afghan refugees, they took them to the Greek Coast Guard vessel, transported them back out to sea, and forced them into an engineless raft, abandoning them at sea.

How they were treated while in captivity we don’t know, but from previous similar cases, we know that the use of extreme violence isn’t uncommon, and we have no reason to assume this group was treated very differently.

The group drifted towards the island of Karaada, and managed to get ashore by their own means.

Luckily, a Turkish coast guard boat on patrol eventually spotted them, and at 17.00, they were rescued from the island.

They had no means to call for help, because the Greek Coast Guard had taken all their phones and thrown them into the sea.

We have not been able to reconnect with anyone from the group, but routinely, all Afghans who try to flee Turkey towards Europe, are first taken to Removal centres financed by the EU, then transported across Turkey to camps close to the Iranian border.

We have previously published about Afghan people being being deported by Turkish authorities: thousands of people, men, women and children are being transported through Iran, back to Afghanistan and Taliban, where many will be imprisoned, tortured and killed for leaving the country.

Anyone claiming that Afghanistan, ranked as the most dangerous country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index, for the sixth year in a row, is safe for anyone, has lost their grip on reality.

To put it into perspective, Ukraine, in full-blown war, is ranked as the world’s seventh most dangerous country. Europe has given almost six million Ukrainian refugees temporary protection, while we are trying our utmost to force Afghans out of Europe, by all means possible.

Greek authorities, central to this process because they are illegally forcing Afghans into Turkiye, are not only supported by EU and Frontex, but also financed by EU and the European Commission.

Everyone, including EU politicians, knows perfectly well what is going on in Greece: the evidence is overwhelming.

But the European Commission has taken no action to stop these widespread, systematic human rights violations on European soil.

It’s time for Frontex to cease all activities in Greece, and for the European Commission to start infringement proceedings to try to reinstate the rule of law in Greece.

Tens of thousands of vulnerable men, women and children have been pushed back by Greek Authorities in the Aegean Sea the last four years, blessed and funded by EU and the European Commission. Below is 15 of them from the group on Vatos, deemed unwanted in Europe, soon to be deported back to Afghanistan, to an uncertain future in the hands of Taliban.

While media pressure is building up against Greek authorities systematic and widespread human rights violations in the Aegean, they continue to leave vulnerable men, women and children helpless drifting in life rafts in the middle of the sea.

In the last days, 10 life rafts, carrying 180 people, mostly Afghan nationals, and 60 of them small children, have been found drifting by the Turkish coast guard.

We are in daily contact with people in distress after being illegally and brutally pushed back by the Greek coast guard in the Aegean Sea.

Some of them have documented their ordeal on video, most cannot, because their phones are usually robbed from them by their captors before they are forced into these motor-less rafts, or they don’t dare to out of fear of what would happen to them if caught.

In the early hours of Wednesday June 19, a boat carrying 33 people, 14 of them small children, was closing in on the north east shore of the Greek island of Leros. Those people had travelled more than 20 miles from the Turkish coast, under cover of darkness, in an overloaded flimsy rubber boat, and had only a few more miles left to reach land on Leros.

A few miles from Leros, they were detected by a vessel from the Greek coast guard, and brutally stopped.

Everyone was taken onboard the coast guard vessel. Some believed that they would be taken to safety. Others, especially those who had had experience with the Greek Coastguard before, were more sceptical about their fate.

Masked men onboard the Greek coast guard vessel, carrying guns and batons, started shouting, ordering them to hand over their phones, and brutally searching everyone.

At first light, the group was forced into two life rafts and left helplessly drifting in the middle of the sea, inside Turkish waters, by the Greek coast guard.

At 05.30am CEST, a woman from one of the life rafts contacted Aegean Boat Report and asked for assistance.

We did the only thing we could do: document their case and inform Turkish authorities, so the group could be rescued and taken to safety on land.

“Hi please help us, we have kids and called Turkey coast guard, they said we can’t come because you are in greek water, please save us!”

The life rafts were drifting in Turkish waters, but the group insisted that they didn’t want to be rescued by the Turkish coast guard and taken back to Turkey: they said they had not been and would not be safe in Turkey.

But because they had already been illegally pushed back by the Greek coast guard, their only immediate option was to be taken back to Turkey.

The group told us: “We are not safe in Turkey,” and we must agree. They are absolutely not safe in Turkey. Thousands of Afghans in Turkey have in the last months been rounded up and transported to camps close to the Iranian and Syrian border, from where they are almost always deported against their wishes back to Afghanistan, and an at best uncertain future under the Taliban regime.

At 07.30am, we were informed by the Turkish coast guard that two life rafts carrying 33 people, 14 of them small children, had been found drifting 20 miles north west of Bodrum.

Comparing pictures and videos taken and shared with Aegean Boat Report by the people onboard the life raft with pictures taken by the Turkish coast guard, we could confirm that it was the same group.

This week two strong documentaries have been published, by BBC in the UK and STRG_F in Germany. They both clearly, and without any doubt, show the systematic human rights violations in Greece, and the total failure of Frontex and the European Commission, to make sure that member states uphold fundamental rights of people seeking protection in Europe.

But even as pressure is mounting against the Greek authorities, Frontex and the European Commission, for supporting the widespread and systematic fundamental rights violations in Greece, this incident and many others beside prove that the Greek authorities continue to put lives at risk, killing vulnerable men, women and children at the European border in the name of border protection, blessed and funded by EU.

When small defenceless children are thrown into life rafts and abandoned in the middle of the sea by authorities, and we don’t raise our voice, there is something terribly wrong with us.