Ministry rejects BBC allegations on foreign border mercenaries

Police borderline guards patrol on a borderline wall adjacent the town of Feres, on the Evros River which forms the the frontier betwixt Greece and Turkey. [Petros Giannakouris/AP]

The Ministry of Citizen Protection has rejected a BBC study claiming that constabulary successful Greece person been recruiting migrants to violently propulsion different migrants backmost crossed its onshore borderline with Turkey. 

Ministry sources told the state-run AMNA quality bureau that borderline extortion is conducted successful afloat compliance with international, EU and nationalist law, with respect for cardinal rights and quality dignity.

They besides that authorities person repeatedly addressed akin claims successful caller years, providing what they picture arsenic “clarity and documentation.”

The aforesaid sources argued that such reports are mostly based connected testimonies and secondary worldly that cannot beryllium independently verified, and said assessments often trust connected the convergence of allegations alternatively than conclusive evidence.

According to the BBC, the findings are based connected a wide scope of evidence, including interior constabulary documents which reportedly picture the recruitment of so-called “mercenaries” arsenic being ordered and overseen by elder officers.

The probe further claims that migrants person been subjected to superior abuses during these operations, including being stripped, robbed, beaten and, successful some cases, sexually assaulted. The BBC reports that such individuals are alleged to person been unofficially employed astatine the borderline since astatine slightest 2020.

In the report, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said helium was “totally unaware” of allegations regarding the use of migrants successful pushback operations. He said that Greece was protecting its borders, and added that European leaders were wide they would not repetition past “mistakes” by allowing successful a “massive influx” of migrants and refugees.

The BBC said its ain probe began past autumn aft receiving video worldly allegedly showing migrants being mistreated by individuals described arsenic mercenaries. The footage was provided by a smuggler who claimed to person fallen retired with his associates.

The BBC states that it has not been capable to independently verify the content, though it says it aligns with accounts gathered from different sources. [AMNA, BBC]