Magda Panoutsopoulou
25 May 2023•Update: 25 May 2023
ATHENS
An independent transparency authority in Greece will investigate new evidence revealed by The New York Times that allegedly shows Greek authorities pushing back migrants in the Aegean Sea, local media reported on Thursday.
The National Transparency Authority will soon launch an investigation into the matter, according to the Kathimerini daily.
A video brought to light by The New York Times filmed in April this year on the island of Lesvos showed 12 migrants, including children and a 6-month-old infant, being transported by a van to a nearby remote area where they were forcefully seen boarding a high-speed inflatable boat.
According to the American newspaper, the men who drove the vehicle were wearing balaclavas.
The irregular migrants were later transferred to a Hellenic coast guard vessel before being abandoned on a floating boat in the middle of the Aegean Sea and set adrift until they were picked up by the Turkish Coast Guard.
In an interview with CNN on Tuesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis denied his government’s involvement in the pushbacks, calling them an unacceptable practice.
Mitsotakis claimed that his government’s policy towards illegal (irregular) migration is tough but fair and that the video is being investigated.
A day after Mitsotakis' interview, European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson tweeted, "The European Commission stands ready to take formal steps, as appropriate."
Previous such investigations, according to the transparency authority, found no evidence that confirmed Greek authorities were behind the pushbacks of irregular immigrants, claiming that "no supporting evidence emerged."
Several human rights organizations and the UN have criticized Greece for its response to irregular migrants.
In 2015-16, the country was at the epicenter of the migration crisis, with nearly a million refugees crossing its borders in search of safety from war-stricken countries.
