Syrian migrants allege illegal Greek pushback

ATHENS: Greek authorities in July illegally expelled a group of mainly Syrian refugees after burning their shoes, papers and other personal items, a report said on Saturday.

Amir Mahmood, a 24-year-old Syrian, told Efimerida ton Syntakton daily that 14 refugees and migrants including small children were pushed back to Turkey on July 28.

The group from Syria, Yemen and Algeria was apprehended by police shortly after crossing the Evros river between Greece and Turkey, Mahmood said.

They were locked up with another 22 people until dark and then taken back to the river and handed over to armed men in military fatigues.

After that, they were pushed back into Turkey. The men were forced to remove their shoes, which were placed into a pile and set on fire, he said. The police had earlier taken their money and had burnt their spare clothes, papers and other personal items, Mahmood said.

"I walked three hours without shoes."

Some of the people he was locked up with had been picked up and expelled at least six times, losing their belongings each time, he said.

A police source declined to comment saying they did not react to media reports.

The Greek government this week said over 8,400 refugees and migrants had crossed the border with Turkey in the first six months of the year, compared to 1,600 a year earlier.

Another 14,500 people had crossed the Aegean compared to 9,500 a year ago. Over the same January-June period, Athens legally returned to Turkey over 7,000 people, the government said.