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Anatomy of a cover up: Frontex’s own reporting system is used to conceal pushbacks in the Aegean & gloss over agency's involvement. Our latest, months-long @derspiegel investigation w/ @LHreports @lemondefr @SRF Rundschau & @RepublikMagazin A thread
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/frontex-in-illegale-pushbacks-von-hunderten-fluechtlingen-involviert-a-086f0e5a-0172-4007-b59c-7bced325cc75
https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/frontex-in-illegale-pushbacks-von-hunderten-fluechtlingen-involviert-a-086f0e5a-0172-4007-b59c-7bced325cc75
2/ As part of this investigation we obtained and analysed a copy of the JORA database and leaked documents; interviewed asylum seekers & confidential sources; reviewed audiovisual evidence from various sources. The main findings are the following
3/ -Between March 2020 and September 2021 Frontex was involved in 222 incidents in the Aegean, resulting in the summary expulsion of at least 957 and potentially 8.355 asylum seekers...
4/ -The media partners found that Frontex was not only directly involved in incidents - but also that descriptions in the agency's own database are often a false representation of reality, covering up potential human rights violations...
5/ -The incidents are registered in JORA as "Preventions of Departure". The term is supposed to be used when the Greek CG prevents migrant vessels BEFORE entering Greek waters & the Turkish Coast Guards takes over or the vessels turn around voluntarily to avoid border control...
6/ -But: in many cases this designation is demonstrably false and is meant to relieve EU border guards of their legal obligations to give migrants access to the asylum process...
7/ - In at least 22 incidents labeled "prevention of departure", migrants were placed in life rafts and left adrift at sea; in 2 confirmed cases, asylum seekers, including women and children, had already landed on Greek soil before being removed and sent back to Turkey...
8/ - Sources at Frontex and the Greek services confirmed to us that "prevention of departure" is a convenient euphemism; that the reporting process is flawed; and that incidents go through several levels of "massaging" and censorship.
9/ - @Frontex responded for this report that its staff and officers have an obligation to report suspected violations of fundamental rights (“we are convinced that no violation of fundamental rights should go unreported”)...
10/ - ... and told us it "has no power to investigate actions of the national authorities…we always act under the command of the national authorities who are primarily responsible for border management"
11/ @HCoastGuard rejected allegations. Officers do not engage in such practices and all complaints are investigated. HCG also dismissed evidence “originating from Turkish authorities” & "meant to damage its humanitarian work and vital role of protecting EU’s external border"
12/ Le Monde's report (in French) by @TomasStatius and @JuliaPascualita: https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2022/04/27/refoulements-en-mer-egee-les-recensements-errones-ou-mensongers-de-frontex_6123944_3210.html
13/ The report in Swiss magazine Republik (in German) by @LukasHaeuptli and @crls__ : https://www.republik.ch/2022/04/27/inside-frontex-die-geheime-datenbank-der-eu
14/ Essential work and research provided by the tireless @bash_deeb @EmmanFre @frpierigh, Htet Aung, Gabriele Gatti - they made this project possible.
15/ SRF online version of the reportage - full TV report today airing at 20:05 (Swiss time) https://www.srf.ch/news/international/migration-frontex-in-pushbacks-in-aegais-involviert
