Europe’s human rights watchdog urges Greece to end summary deportation of migrants
Associated Press2 days
Council of Europe Urges Greece to Stop Migrant Pushbacks
Above: A coastguard boat arrives at the port of Kalamata, carrying the bodies of victims who lost their lives after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank in the Ionian Sea, in Kalamata town, Greece, on June 15, 2023. Image copyright: Menelaos Myrillas/Contributor/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
There's evidence that systematic human rights violations continue at Greece's borders, with persistent use of violent pushbacks and inadequate detention conditions. To comply with the international agreements and legal code that Greece must abide by, the Greek government must adopt the commissioner's recommendations with all haste.
Narrative B
The accusations of institutional and systemic human rights violations on the part of Greek officers and the Hellenic Coast Guard, particularly regarding so-called systemic pushbacks, are fundamentally false. Greek officials uphold human rights through their actions and maintain the strictest interpretations of international law to hold themselves to the highest standard.