Although Greece claims its border policies comply with international law, a recent ruling has heightened concerns over how European countries handle migration policies.
On Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a significant judgment, ruling that Greece unlawfully deported a Turkish migrant back to Turkey. The court characterized the deportation, or “pushback,” as a systematic practice.
This decision, made by the court in Strasbourg, could have profound implications, particularly as Greece and other EU member states intensify efforts to tighten migration controls. It sets a precedent regarding how European nations manage migrants at their borders.
A Turkish woman, referred to as A.R.E., was awarded €20,000 (approximately 734,000 TL) in damages after the court found that she had been improperly deported in 2019. Her right to seek asylum after crossing the Greece-Turkey border had been denied.
The court stated, “There are strong indications that during the alleged incidents, Greek authorities systematically carried out ‘pushbacks’ of third-country nationals from the Evros region (on Greece’s border south of Edirne) to Turkey.”
In a separate case, an Afghan man who claimed he was forcibly returned from Greece’s Samos Island to Turkey in 2020, when he was 15 years old, had his case dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
Greek authorities denied the accusations, questioned the reliability of the evidence, and maintained that their border policies are in compliance with international law. Representatives at the hearing argued that Greece’s actions adhered to its obligations under international agreements.
The case has sparked broader concerns, with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees calling for a thorough investigation into Greece’s alleged pushback practices, described by multiple human rights organizations as systematic.
However, Greece’s state-funded National Transparency Authority reported in 2022 that a four-month investigation found no evidence supporting claims of illegal deportations.
The ruling adds to the ongoing debate about migration management and border control policies within the European Union, especially amid rising incidents involving migrants at Greek borders.
