As a critical transit point for countless irregular migrants trying to cross into Europe, Türkiye continues saving lives endangered by Greek pushbacks and the harsh conditions of the Aegean Sea.

Thousands of refugees have died trying to cross the elongated arm of the Mediterranean Sea connecting Europe and Asia. It’s where the journey of hope comes to an end for the many fleeing war, massacres, poverty and drought around the world. Hundreds of thousands of irregular migrants, who fall prey to smugglers while chasing the dream of a new life, strive to reach Greece undeterred by bad weather and hostile maritime conditions.

The International Organization for Migration has recorded nearly 2,000 migrants as dead or missing in the Mediterranean Sea this year alone.

On top of grappling with Aegean waves, these migrants come face-to-face with death because of the pushbacks and inhumane practices carried out by Greece in its campaign to "fight irregular migration."

While working to curb illegal crossings of Türkiye’s borders, the Turkish Coast Guard Command also comes to the rescue of irregular migrants, responding to calls from boats abandoned in the middle of the sea.

Just this week, the Turkish coast guard service rescued 42 irregular migrants attempting to make the perilous journey off the coast of the Ayvalık district in Balıkesir province, a recurring case for security forces patrolling the Aegean.

Indeed, in 2022 alone, the Turkish Coast Guard Command has caught nearly 50,000 irregular migrants in the Aegean while saving thousands more pushed back by Greek elements into Turkish waters.

When Ayvalık coast guard crews reached the area following a report, the group they came across was stuffed into rubber boats, consisting mostly of women and children.

"Women and children first!" the security crews cried out as they helped the migrants out of the dinghies and into their boat one by one.

Among the rescued were 11 babies, the youngest of whom was a 3-month-old called Hüsna.

The refugees said they were coming from Afghanistan. "We escaped the Taliban," they explained. "There was no life for us in Afghanistan. We set out on the road for our children. We wanted to go to Europe through Greece."

As the rescue was underway, a woman on the coast guard boat had an epileptic seizure. An officer took care of the woman while medical teams were called in. By the time the coast guard boat made land at the nearby Cunda Island, an ambulance was waiting for the woman.

After all the irregular migrants were rescued, the boat returned to Cunda Island at full speed. Babies hugged their mothers and cried. The woman who had the epileptic seizure was delivered to the medical teams upon docking. The other migrants each had their temperatures taken. Later, water, tea and blankets were handed out to the group.

After they were processed, the migrants were delivered to the provincial directorate of migration.

Thousands rescued after pushbacks

The Ayvalık incident is the latest in a long string of rescue operations Türkiye has been leading in its western waters. Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 16 of this year, the Turkish Coast Guard’s Aegean Command Station has saved 47,498 irregular migrants in 1,550 separate cases across its area of responsibility.

A total of 21,770 irregular migrants, including women and children, have been rescued by Turkish coast guard teams after being left to die at sea on rubber boats or in lifejackets after Greek forces dismantled their engines or confiscated their belongings.

Human rights groups and media outlets have frequently reported on illegal pushbacks and other human rights breaches by Greek authorities. Ankara 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.

Hundreds of people have died at sea as many boats carrying refugees sank or capsized. A report by Türkiye’s Ombudsman Institution said earlier in July this year that Greece has pushed back nearly 42,000 asylum-seekers since 2020.

A top lawmaker from Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party), Ömer Çelik, recently argued the pushbacks were occurring with the European Union’s knowledge, saying, "The crimes that Frontex and the Greek coast security jointly committed are crimes against humanity."

Frontex supervises the 27-nation EU’s outside borders. The agency is under pressure over allegations that it was involved in the illegal pushbacks of migrants, notably in the waters dividing Greece and Türkiye.

A report by the EU’s anti-fraud office, OLAF, examined Frontex activities in Greece from spring to autumn 2020 and found that the agency was not investigating or handling evidence of migrant pushbacks correctly and at times was attempting to cover them up or not reporting them at all.

Late in November, pro-migration humanitarian groups in Greece also said the Greek government continued "toughening its anti-migration stance" and "waging a witch-hunt" against refugees as well as their defenders, with some campaigners even stepping away from the struggle.

Despite in-depth investigations by the media and nongovernmental organizations, alongside abundant testimony from victims, Greek authorities have consistently denied the pushbacks.

Greece's conservative government, elected in 2019, has vowed to make the country "less attractive" to migrants.