Greek coastguards accused of throwing migrants overboard to their deaths | BBC News

The Greek coastguard has caused the deaths of dozens of migrants in the Mediterranean over a three-year period, witnesses say, including nine people who were deliberately thrown into the water.

They are among more than 40 people alleged to have died as a result of being forced out of Greek territorial waters, or taken back out to sea after reaching Greek islands, a BBC investigation suggests.

In five of the incidents, migrants said they were thrown directly into the sea by Greek officials. In four cases they said they had landed on Greek islands but were rounded up. In other incidents, migrants said they had been put on inflatable rafts which deflated and appeared to have been punctured.

The Greek coastguards rejected all accusations of illegal activities. They said they acted with professionalism and with “a strong respect for human rights”.

The BBC showed footage of 12 people being loaded into a Greek coastguard boat and then abandoned on a dinghy to the former head of special operations for the Greek coastguard. Speaking while unaware that he was being recorded, he said it was "obviously illegal" and "an international crime".

The Greek government has long been accused of removing migrants by forcibly pushing people in boats back towards Turkey, which is illegal under international law.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Paul Adams.

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