In a significant ruling on Tuesday, the European Court of Human Rights declared that Greece had unlawfully deported a woman back to Turkey and characterized the practice of summary expulsions, known as 'pushbacks,' as systematic. This decision could have far-reaching implications for how Europe manages migrants at its borders, particularly as Greece and other European Union member states are advocating for stricter immigration controls.
The court, based in Strasbourg, France, awarded damages of 20,000 euros ($21,000) to a Turkish woman identified only by her initials A.R.E. The ruling stated that she was improperly expelled in 2019 after crossing the Greek-Turkish border without being given the opportunity to seek asylum.
The court's decision highlighted the existence of a systematic practice of 'pushbacks' of third-country nationals by Greek authorities from the Evros region on the Greek border to Turkey during the period in question.
However, a second claim made by an Afghan man who alleged he was illegally returned to Turkey from the Greek island of Samos in 2020 when he was 15 was rejected by the court due to a lack of evidence.
During the hearings, Greek government representatives refuted the allegations, questioning the authenticity of the evidence and asserting that Greece's border policies are in line with international law.
The United Nations refugee agency has called on Greece to conduct a thorough investigation into multiple pushback allegations, while various human rights organizations have characterized the alleged irregular deportations as a systematic practice.
In a separate development, Greece's National Transparency Authority, a publicly-funded corruption watchdog, conducted a four-month investigation in 2022 and found no evidence to support the pushback allegations.
The European Court of Human Rights, an international court that adjudicates human rights violations by 46 member states of the Council of Europe, has played a crucial role in addressing human rights issues across the continent.
For more updates on migration issues, visit AP's coverage of migration issues.
