Europe's human rights watchdog urges Greece to end summary deportation of migrants
ATHENS, Greece — Greece was urged Tuesday to implement stronger legal safeguards at its borders and adopt a 'zero-tolerance approach to summary returns' as reports of illegal deportations of migrants continue despite mounting international criticism.
Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, issued the recommendations following a visit to Greece in February.
'The commissioner is concerned about the allegations received during his visit regarding persistent practices of summary returns — also referred to as 'pushbacks' or 'informal forced returns' — at both land and maritime borders,' the Council of Europe memorandum said.
Advertisement
'Returning people without carrying out an individual identification procedure prevents member states from establishing whether they may be sending them back to human rights abuses,' it added.
Advertisement
It said O'Flaherty noted that the number of allegations had dropped in recent months.
🌎
Follow World news Follow
Athens has consistently denied the pushback allegations, maintaining that its border control measures comply with international law.
In a written response to the commissioner, the Greek Police said its officers are involved only in the 'lawful prevention of illegal border crossings while migrants are still in Turkish territory and have not yet reached Greece.'
The pushback allegations gained legal significance after the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Greece in January, finding that Athens had violated European human rights conventions by systematically expelling migrants without due process.
Advertisement
The Greek government is tightening its migration policies. Migration Minister Makis Voridis has announced plans to extend the maximum detention period for rejected asylum seekers from 18 month to 24 months.
Advertisement
'The illegal migrant whose asylum application is rejected and who nevertheless does not leave for his country will face a much more unfavorable institutional environment than exists today — essentially to encourage voluntary departure,' Voridis told the Action 24 TV news channel.
On Tuesday, the coast guard reported rescuing 158 migrants from three dinghies south of the island of Crete, with assistance from nearby commercial vessels and Frontex, the European Union's border protection agency .
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Zohran Mamdani repeatedly pressed on whether he condemns 'globalize the intifada' term in NBC interview
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was repeatedly pressed by NBC News host Kristen Welker on Sunday about why he doesn't want to condemn the phrase, "globalize the intifada," insisting that he didn't want to "police language." "I want to ask you about an issue that has divided New Yorkers in recent weeks. You were recently asked about the term 'globalize the intifada,' if it makes you uncomfortable. In that moment, you did not condemn the phrase. Now, just so folks understand, it is a phrase that many people hear as a call to violence against Jews," Welker said. "So I want to give you the opportunity to respond here and now, do you condemn that phrase, 'globalize the intifada?'" Mandami, a Democratic socialist, defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo in the mayoral primary last week. "That's not language that I use. The language that I use, the language that I will continue to use to lead this city, is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights," Mamdani responded. "And ultimately, that's what is the foundation of so much of my politics, the belief that freedom and justice and safety are things that, to have meaning, have to be applied to all people and that includes Israelis and Palestinians alike." Welker asked Mamdani once again if he condemned the phrase. Mamdani said he had spoken to several Jewish New Yorkers regarding their concerns about antisemitism and added, "I don't believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech." "Ultimately, what I think I need to show is the ability to not only talk about something but to tackle it and to make clear there is no room for antisemitism in the city. We have to root out that bigotry and, ultimately, we do that through the actions, and that is the mayor I will be, one that protects Jewish New Yorkers and lives up to that commitment through the work that I do," he continued. Welker asked again why he wouldn't just "condemn" the phrase, citing those who care about the language and feel concerned over the phrase. "My concern is, to start to walk down the line of language and making clear what language I believe is permissible or impermissible, takes me into a place similar to that of the president, who is looking to do those very kinds of things, putting people in jail for writing an op-ed, putting them in jail for protesting. Ultimately, it is not language that I use. It is language I understand there are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my vision for the city through my words and my actions," Mamdani said. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called on Mamdani to denounce the phrase on Thursday during a heated exchange with WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer. During an interview with Stephen Colbert ahead of the primary, Mamdani was also pressed on antisemitism in New York. "Does the State of Israel have the right to exist?" Colbert asked the 33-year-old Democratic socialist. "Yes," Mamdani responded. "Like all nations, I believe it has the right to exist and a responsibility also to uphold international law."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
El Salvador president threatens to send imprisoned gangsters to Paris Fashion Week
El Salvador's president said he would send inmates of the country's notorious mega-prison to France in the wake of a Paris Fashion Week show critiquing the government's treatment of the prisoners. Nayib Bukele criticised a collection debuted by Willy Chavarria, a Mexican-American designer, featuring models wearing outfits resembling inmate uniforms at El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot). The maximum-security prison was opened in 2023 on the orders of Mr Bukele as part of his war against organised crime, but human rights groups have raised concerns about poor conditions and a lack of due process. Responding to a message online saying Mr Chavarria's show was a tribute to Cecot prisoners, the El Salvador president wrote: 'We're ready to ship them all to Paris whenever we get the green light from the French government.' Mr Bukele's press team said the president's response showed his 'firm stance against the attempt to glorify criminality'. Mr Chavarria's Paris Fashion Week show opened with 35 men walking down the runway wearing white T-shirts and shorts that had been made in partnership with the American Civil Liberties Union. The models then dropped into kneeling positions with their heads bowed, recalling images which emerged from El Salvador in the months after the government adopted a harsher approach to gangs. Others wore T-shirts emblazoned with the word 'America' upside-down, which fashion critics speculated was a commentary on Mr Chavarria's belief the country is moving backwards. The designer also sent invitations for his Spring 2026 show in the form of replica immigration summons, with the documents certifying readers' 'right to exist', before asking them to attend for a 'presentation of humanity'. Tens of thousands of suspected gang members have been rounded up and incarcerated in El Salvador since a state of emergency was declared in March 2022 following a spike in murders and violent crimes. Hailing the success of the crackdown, the country's government reported that the homicide rate fell by nearly 70 per cent in 2023. However, concerns have been raised about conditions inside Cecot, as well as the possibility that some of those imprisoned may be innocent of gang involvement. Human Rights Watch claimed inmates were denied communication with relatives or lawyers, with reports claiming prisoners only leave their cells for 30 minutes a day. Alongside roughly 15,000 domestic prisoners, Cecot also holds more than 200 Venezuelans deported from the United States, accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. The Trump administration paid Mr Bukele's government millions of dollars to lock up the migrants, claiming they were criminals and gang members. Donald Trump invoked little-used wartime legislation in March to fly the migrants to El Salvador without court hearings. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Israeli strike on Iranian prison killed more than 70, says Iran state-affiliated media
Israel's attack on Evin Prison in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Monday killed 71 people, according to Mizan, the news outlet of the Iranian judiciary. 'The martyrs include prison administrative staff, conscripted soldiers, inmates, family members of prisoners who were at the prison for visits or legal follow-ups, and neighbors living near the prison,' judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir said in remarks published on Sunday. The state-affiliated news agency Fars reported that 'much damage' had been recorded in the surrounding area. The Israeli military attacked the entrance of Iran's notorious Evin Prison on Monday, according to Israel's defense minister and Iranian state news. Security forces at the Evin detention center are known for their long record of human rights abuses, according to regime critics. Political activists, journalists and musicians are among those who have been incarcerated at the facility. It is unclear why Israel targeted the facility. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed in a statement that Evin had been targeted, alongside several other sites, including the flagship building of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij headquarters (a paramilitary wing of the IRGC), without providing any further details. France's foreign minister condemned the strike on the prison, which was housing two French nationals. 'The strike aimed at Evin Prison in Tehran put in danger two of our nationals, Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris, hostages for the past three years. It's unacceptable,' Jean-Noël Barrot said in a post on X following the attack. The couple were on holiday in Iran in May 2022 when they were stopped by authorities and arrested on suspicion of espionage. In October that year, Iranian state television broadcast a forced confession from the pair, during which Kohler said she was an agent working for France's intelligence services, the DGES. A ceasefire between Iran and Israel was announced late on Monday, after 12 days of back and forth strikes that started when Israel attacked Iran earlier this month.
