Officials at the Greek coast guard and police, responsible for the sea and land borders, were not immediately available to respond to questions about the 12 cases. A coast guard official said staff operate, “with a high sense of responsibility, and with full respect for human lives and human rights”.
In January, the European Court of Human Rights found violations of human rights by Greece over a case at its land border with Turkey, referring in its ruling to a, “systematic practice of pushbacks”.
Any disciplinary action over rights violations would be up to the Greek national authorities.