Greek Coast Guard Under Scrutiny for Response to Migrant Mass Drowning
New York TimesJun 26, 2023
BBC Report: Greek Coastguard Involved in Migrant Deaths
Above: A migrant boat is rescued by a Greek coastguard vessel as it makes the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos on November 17, 2015 in Sikaminias, Greece. Image copyright: Carl Court/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The Greek coastguard has been accused of killing over 40 migrants — who were forced to turn back or were thrown overboard to their deaths — in the Mediterranean over the past three years.
A BBC investigation found that at least 43 migrants allegedly died due to the coastguard's pushback in 15 incidents between May 2020 and 2023, with nine migrants reportedly being thrown into the water after arriving on Greek islands.
The Spin
Narrative A
Greece has long been accused of breaking international law and violating the rights of asylum seekers by carrying out illegal pushback operations to force back migrants who cross the Mediterranean in search of a new life in the EU. The BBC investigation included reports from local media, nongovernmental organizations, the Turkish coastguard, and eyewitnesses. Prosecutors must take the Greek coastguard to court and hold Greece accountable for their dehumanizing actions.
Narrative B
The Greek coastguard protects the EU's external borders by following national and international law. Greek authorities are doing everything possible to secure the borders while at the same time promoting legal pathways for qualified applicants. The Greek coastguard, which saves dozens of human lives each day, regrets the alleged abuses in the Mediterranean. The actual perpetrators of migrant deaths are the smuggling networks, which continue to endanger lives in the sea.