The engine of a boat carrying 36 irregular migrants was demounted by Greek coast guard forces, leaving the migrants for certain death in the Aegean.

Statements of the migrants said that the group of 36 tried to reach Lesbos Island from Türkiye’s Çanakkale province’s Ayvacık district but was stopped by Greek forces. The engine of the boat was demounted and the migrants were pushed back toward Turkish waters.

Receiving information about the migrant boat, the Turkish North Aegean group command of the coast guard took off to rescue the migrants.

The proximity of Türkiye’s Aegean coast to Greek islands makes it a favorite destination of irregular migrants hoping to reach Europe. Some stay in Greece, but most look for ways to get to other European countries, particularly Germany, to pursue better lives.

As the European Union grapples with an influx of irregular migrants amid aggravated conflicts and hardships in source countries, Greece often resorts to pushback practices against international laws. Accounts of migrants intercepted by Turkish authorities, whether in the Aegean Sea or across the land border between Türkiye and Greece, show that Greek security forces often beat them and sometimes try to sink their rubber boats.

Türkiye and global rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece’s illegal practice of pushing back irregular migrants, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable migrants, including women and children.