What happened? In a shocking news, there have been reports of sightings of 92 migrant men have been photographed in deplorable conditions on the border between Greece and Turkey.
• The image was posted on Twitter by Greece’s immigration minister on Friday. The UN refugee agency said it was “deeply saddened” by the photograph and urged for an investigation of the images.
• There is a blame game still going on between Turkey and Greece regarding the situation of the migrants. While Greece blamed Turkey for its “behaviour”, Turkey called it “fake news” and accused Greece of “oppression.”
Why it matters? The Greek police found injuries on the bodies of the 92 migrant men and investigations of the European Union’s Border Agency (Frontex), have found evidence that the migrants had crossed into Greek territory by plastic boats from Turkey and during the Oros River.
• Frontex said the men were mainly from Afghanistan and Syria and were in charge of the organisation’s fundamental rights division over possible violations of their rights.
• The news of the finding comes days after a report by EU agencies revealed that some senior Frontex staff had covered up Greece’s illegal pushback of migrants to Turkey, an issue rejected by Athens.
Zoom out: Such incidents have raised questions about the treatment of migrants in different countries, especially Afghans. This is the latest in a series of allegations of “illegal” immigration between the two neighboring countries.
• Greek officials had said that they immediately gave them clothes, food and first aid. Greek Civil Protection Minister Takis Theodorakos had accused Turkey of “using an instrument of illegal migration.” A day earlier, Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi tweeted that Turkey’s treatment of migrants was a “shame of civilization.”
• This has reached the highest level of Turkish government officials, with tweets from the Turkish president denying any responsibility for what happened, calling Greece responsible for the situation “inhumane.”
• The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said, “We condemn any cruel and degrading treatment (of asylum seekers) and call for a thorough investigation [into this matter].”
