Frontex continues to cover up migrant pushbacks by Greece: Norwegian NGO

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Frontex, the EU’s border agency, continues to cover up pushbacks of migrants by Greece, a Norwegian non-governmental organization said on Monday.

In a statement, the Aegean Boat Report said that the pushbacks in the Aegean by the Greek Coast Guard continued this year while the Frontex vessels were present in the area.

“One common factor in all these cases is that Frontex vessels involved have not filed any reports. This means they are deliberately covering up Greek authorities’ human rights violations,” the statement added.

Stressing that over the last 4 years, it has registered 3,000 pushbacks in the Aegean Sea by Greek authorities, involving 82,000 people, the NGO said: "Throughout this four-year period, Frontex has had a heavy presence in the area: thousands of officers, hundreds of vessels, surveillance aircraft and high-tech equipment that have cost European taxpayers billions."