The EU countries ‘pushing back’ asylum seekers at sea
Greece is accused of sending thousands back to Turkey without allowing them to apply for asylum. …
A top EU official has told the BBC that the Greek government must stop the illegal deportation of migrants arriving on the country’s borders.
The Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansonn, said that the “very well founded” reports of ‘pushbacks’ at sea and on land were “violations of fundamental European values”.
Human rights groups allege that thousands of people seeking asylum in Europe have been pushed back from Greece to Turkey before being given a chance to apply for asylum.
Greece has always denied the allegations.
The BBC’s Fergal Keane reports from the island of Lesbos.
Camera: Tony Fallshaw
Producers: Ed Habershon and Daphne Tolis
Editor: Olivia Lace-Evans
Additional research by Chris Bell, Georgina Rannard and Victoria Park