Turkish authorities on Friday accused the Greek coastguard of killing at least three migrants by throwing them into the sea with their hands tied and claiming to have saved three others alive.
“Last night, Greek coastguards beat seven migrants, stole their goods and tied their hands before throwing them into the sea without a life jacket or lifeboat. They were left to their own devices, “Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Twitter.
The Turkish coast guard said it had rescued three people and recovered three bodies in the Aegean Sea. “Search tasks continue to find the last missing person,” they said in a statement.
Soylu showed a video of a man posing as one of the survivors, explaining that the group of migrants he belonged to was detained by Greek authorities on Thursday, when they were near the island of Chios, after a trip. which began in Turkey.
“They took our money and phones and beat us. There were seven of us. They kicked us (in the sea).”he said in Turkish.
Another man, also portrayed as a migrant, appears in this video with his hands tied with a plastic rope.
AFP could not independently verify these statements.
It is not the first time that Greek coastguards have been accused of this type of practice, but the Athenian authorities have always denied these facts.
The Aegean Sea is one of the main routes used by migrants to smuggle into Europe.