More than 15,000 irregular migrants pushed back by Greece into Turkish territorial waters in the Aegean Sea were rescued by Turkish Coast Guard Command units in 2021.
According to the data provided by the coast guard, between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021, 15,174 irregular migrants pushed back into Turkish territorial waters by Greek elements were disembarked.
A total of 6,595 irregular migrants were rescued in Izmir, 2,945 in Muğla, 2,909 in Aydın, 1,570 in Çanakkale, 1,126 in Balıkesir and 29 in Antalya.
In addition, the dead bodies of 15 irregular migrants were found last year.
At least 629 cases of migrants being illegally pushed back around the Greek Aegean islands were reported in 2021, the Aegean Boat Report, which monitors arrivals and rights abuses in the Aegean, also said earlier this month.
According to the Norwegian nongovernmental organization (NGO), which has monitored and reported on issues related to the movement of people in the Aegean Sea since March 2020, with a focus on actual incidents of people crossing the sea and governments’ responses, almost 26,000 people have been pushed back by the Greek government in Aegean waters.
Setting out to start a new life, the irregular migrants' journey of hope often ends in the blue waters of the Aegean Sea or turns into a nightmare due to the inhumane practices of Greek coast guard units. Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for migrants aiming to cross into Europe, fleeing war and persecution to start new lives.
Turkey has accused Greece of large-scale pushbacks and summary deportations while denying migrants access to asylum procedures, which is a violation of international law. Turkey has also accused the European Union of turning a blind eye to this blatant abuse of human rights.
International organizations and Turkey have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum-seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children. Turkey's five Aegean provinces – Çanakkale, Balıkesir, Izmir, Muğla and Aydın – are prime spots for refugees leaving Turkey for the EU, with Greek islands lying within sight of the Turkish coast.
In recent years, hundreds of thousands have made short but perilous journeys across the Aegean in a bid to reach northern and western Europe in search of a better life. Hundreds of people have died at sea as a number of boats carrying refugees sank or capsized. The Turkish Coast Guard Command has rescued thousands of others.
Pushbacks are considered contrary to international refugee protection agreements, which dictate that people should not be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety might be in danger due to their race, religion, nationality or membership in a social or political group.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose center-right New Democracy party came to power in 2019, continued to defend his government's controversial migration policy, alleging that it was "tough but fair," and claimed Greece has been rescuing hundreds of people at sea since 2015 when it was on the front line of Europe's migration crisis.
The EU's border and coast guard agency Frontex has also been involved in some Greek pushbacks of migrants. A joint investigation by several international news outlets reported in October 2020 that Frontex had been complicit in maritime pushback operations to drive away migrants attempting to enter the EU via Greek waters. A month later, Brussels-based news outlet EUobserver revealed that Frontex exchanged letters with Greek authorities about Athens' orders to push migrants back to Turkish waters.