Cyprus has engaged in offshore pushbacks as several boats carrying displaced people have approached in recent weeks. Returning people to countries where they could face persecution is prohibited by international law.
The boat capsized due to heavy winds, leaving at least one woman and two children dead. Search efforts carried on into the night, the Greek coast guard said.
In a new report, Save the Children says little has changed for more than 200,000 unaccompanied children who have sought asylum in Europe over the past five years. They "continue to drown on the EU's watch," the NGO said.
A vessel with 74 migrants and two people smugglers on board has reached the port of Katakolo in western Greece after sending distress signals over the weekend. Two Turkish nationals on board the yacht have been detained.
Greece's migration minister rejected claims on Monday saying that the Greek government was involved in illegally pushing back migrants and refugees at sea. Notis Mitarachi said that false reports about pushbacks were being spread by people smugglers, as changes to Greece’s border policies was damaging their business.
Nearly 100 migrants were rescued on Tuesday night from Aegean waters near the Greek island of Rhodes. The Greek coast guard said it would continue searching for survivors after their boat was found partially sunk.
A Greek government spokesperson has announced that Greece is continuing with its plans to extend a border fence along its northern border with Turkey in order to deter migrants from entering the country.
More than 20 Turkish citizens who say they have been persecuted in their home country have fled to Greece to seek asylum. Greek news reports say they include families with children.
When refugees flee, they often arrive in their host country with very little to their name. But one thing that can’t be taken away from them are their skills and traditions. That is why craft can play such an important role in providing employment, self esteem and a path to a brighter future.
German soldiers have filed reports saying that they had repeatedly observed migrant boats in the Mediterranean being pushed back into Turkish waters. The German dpa news agency said it had information chronicling at least three such instances in June 2020 alone.
Several German federal states have offered to take in refugees and migrants currently stuck in Greek Island camps. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer however has blocked their efforts, arguing for a unified solution on the federal level as well as across the European Union. His critics accuse the minister of sending mixed messages.
Earlier in the year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hoped to gain political leverage by threatening to send migrants and refugees into the EU. But numbers published by the European Commission show that his attempts were futile — largely because of the extent of the global pandemic slowing down migration patterns.