Greece records 21 illegal refugee pushbacks, many Afghan victims

The 2025 Annual Report of the National Human Rights Committee documents 21 incidents of unlawful forced returns of refugees in Greece between January 2023 and December 2025. The cases involve the removal of at least 359 individuals, including 94 women, 90 children and 42 persons with special needs, the majority of whom hail from Afghanistan.

Ten removals took place at sea, where authorities reportedly used unseaworthy vessels, destroyed navigation equipment and created hazardous conditions that led to fatal outcomes. The remaining eleven occurred on the land border at the Evros River, where victims were transferred across the waterway amid punitive physical violence. The report, based on 23 personal testimonies, notes that while the number of recorded incidents is lower than in previous cycles, this does not reflect an effective reduction of the practice.

The findings highlight distinct patterns of abuse: on the Evros, victims faced direct physical aggression, whereas at sea, the danger stemmed from obstruction of vessel movement and exposure to lethal conditions.