New findings suggest Greek authorities are illegally deporting refugees across the Turkish border. As part of an international research team, DW identified and met some of the victims who were forced back.
While migrant disembarkations continue in southern Italy, authorities are concerned over an increase in the arrival of foreigners using the Balkan route, passing through Slovenia to arrive in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Two Afghan members of Parliament investigating the alleged abuse and drowning of Afghan migrants by Iranian guards say 45 people died in the incident. 17 bodies have so far been recovered from the Harirud River, which forms part of Afghanistan’s northern border with Iran.
Hundreds of Tunisians, stuck in Libya, have started to legally cross a Tunisian frontier post, according to Tunisia's interior ministry. The border between the two north African nations had been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
On Thursday, a top official at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) branded the accommodation housing asylum seekers on the Hungarian-Serbian border ‘detention.’ The statement by the advocate general is non-binding and a decision will be reached by the court at a later date.
On Wednesday, the Danish government announced it would relax some of its restrictions on foreigners traveling into the country. The restrictions, in place since mid-March, had affected foreign spouses and life partners, as well as the children and parents of Danes born outside the country.
The Italian interior ministry has said that pushbacks of migrants at the French border have been "in sharp decline in recent days." This comes after the mayor of an Italian border town claimed that French officers were bringing migrants back to the Italian border, despite the coronavirus emergency.
The head of Europe's border agency Frontex has said that even with the coronavirus crisis, the pressure on Europe's borders will "remain high." His statement comes as the Greek authorities reported more unrest at its border with Turkey and a UN official criticized Greece for refusing to let people through.
On March 18, the Turkish government announced that it would be closing its borders with EU countries Greece and Bulgaria. The reason: The Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement came a day after talks between some EU leaders and the Turkish president, where more help was promised for Turkey to support migrants and refugees.
The European border and coast guard agency Frontex announced on Friday that it has deployed 100 additional border guards to the Greek land border with Turkey. The additional guards, says Frontex, “are part of a rapid border intervention requested by Greece.”
At the bus station in the small village of Edirne in Turkey we met Moussa, a 28-year-old migrant from Niger. Moussa told us he was robbed by men who pretended they would help him cross the Evros river to get to Greece.
Thousands of migrants and refugees have gathered at the Turkish-Greek border, desperate to make it into the European Union. DW correspondent Tunca Ögreten spent two days there, and reports a volatile situation.