BBC investigation ties Greek coast guard to dozens of migrant deaths at sea
By Lauren Taylor (Anchor), Evan Hummel (Producer), Jake Maslo (Video Editor)
A new BBC report and documentary leveled allegations against Greek authorities in the Mediterranean. The report, released on Monday, June 17, documented allegations ranging from masked men abducting and throwing migrants into the sea, to Greek authorities forcing asylum-seekers and their children into open waters on ill-fated rafts, according to first-hand witness accounts.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Greek coastguard threw migrants overboard to their deaths, witnesses say
Click to see story on BBC NewsGreek coastguard accused of throwing migrants overboard to their death
Click to see story on The IndependentGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on Associated Press NewsGreek coastguard ‘threw migrants overboard to their deaths’
Click to see story on Daily MirrorGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on abc NewsGreek coastguard accused of ‘deliberately’ throwing migrants into the sea
Click to see story on Metro NewsGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on The Toronto StarBBC investigation, migrants thrown into the sea by the Greek Coast Guard: the government has long been accused of forced returns
Click to see story on La RepubblicaSea rescue: Greek coast guard threw migrants overboard, according to report
Click to see story on Zeit OnlineMigrants thrown into the sea by the Greek Coast Guard, a BBC investigation sheds light on ‘accidents’: ‘Up to 40 dead’
Click to see story on Il Fatto QuotidianoGreek coast guard allegedly threw migrants overboard — BBC report
Click to see story on SpiegelAccording to report, Greek coast guard allegedly threw migrants tied up into the sea
Click to see story on der Standard ATGreek coastguard accused of throwing migrants overboard to their deaths
Click to see story on Africa NewsBBC: Greek coast guard drove dozens of migrants to death with pushbacks, deliberately jettisoned nine people
Click to see story on NRC HandelsbladGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on KIFIGreece denies report of brutality to migrants, caused deaths of dozens at sea
Click to see story on South China Morning PostGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on KVIAGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on Winnipeg Free PressGreek coastguard threw migrants into sea after tying their hands: Report
Click to see story on WIONMigrants testify: “Greek coast guard deliberately throws people into the sea”
Click to see story on vrtGreek coastguards threw migrants from boats to their deaths in Mediterranean Sea: Report
Click to see story on Firstpost News‘Greek coast guard threw migrants handcuffed into the sea’
Click to see story on NOSGreek coastguard caused dozens of deaths in Mediterranean – including nine who were deliberately thrown in water, investigation finds
Click to see story on LBCGreek coastguard accused of ‘throwing migrants overboard to their deaths’
Click to see story on Daily ExpressGreek coastguard ‘threw migrants to their deaths’
Click to see story on The TelegraphGreek Coast Guard accused of causing deaths of dozens of migrants in Mediterranean
Click to see story on Anadolu AjansıGreek Coast Guard members allegedly pushed migrants into the sea
Click to see story on OrigoGreece’s Coastguard ‘Threw Migrants Overboard to Their Deaths’, BBC Claims
Click to see story on Greek ReporterRight
Untracked Bias
Allegation: Greek Coast Guard throws 9 migrants into the sea, killing 9 migrants
Click to see story on T24“Greek coast guard jettisoned at least 9 migrants”
Click to see story on Het NieuwsbladGreek Coast Guard accused of throwing migrants out the door and watching them die
Click to see story on PublicoGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on My Mother LodeMigrants, the complaint: “The Greek coast guard throws them into the sea and leaves them to die.”
Click to see story on Quotidiano NazionaleMigrants thrown overboard? Report heavily implicates Greek coast guard.
Click to see story on rnd.deThe Greek Coast Guard reportedly killed more than 40 migrants when they were thrown into the sea, according to a report
Click to see story on EL ESPAÑOLMigrants thrown into the sea tied up? Shocking allegations against the Greek coast guard.
Click to see story on focus.deGreek coastguard threw migrants overboard to their deaths, witnesses say
Click to see story on Capital FM KenyaBBC: Greek coast guard threw people overboard.
Click to see story on rd.nlGreek Coast Guard Drops Migrants Back Into Sea, BBC
Click to see story on www.sme.skBBC: Greek Coast Guard Drops Migrants Into Sea – List Report
Click to see story on seznamzpravy.czThe Greek coast guard allegedly threw migrants onto the roof, witnesses say.
Click to see story on RTV SlovenijaGreek coastguard accused of migrant deaths in Aegean
Click to see story on philenews.comGreek coast guard allegedly threw migrants overboard, witnesses say
Click to see story on Česká televizeThrown into the sea or adrift: The Greek Coast Guard against migrants.
Click to see story on El SaltoInvestigated by a BBC report, Greece denies having caused the death of rejected migrants.
Click to see story on Le TempsGreek coastguard ‘threw migrants overboard to their deaths’: BBC
Click to see story on The New ArabWitnesses for BBC: Greek coastguard threw migrants into sea, nine drowned
Click to see story on n1info.rsCoast Guard allegedly throwing migrants onto the roof.
Click to see story on slovenskenovice.siGreek Coast Guard Drops Migrants Back Into Sea, BBC
Click to see story on hnonline.skBBC: Greek Coast Guard allegedly threw migrants onto the roof.
Click to see story on sta.siGreek coast guard drops migrants back into the sea, reports BBC | Českénoviny.cz
Click to see story on ceskenoviny.czBBC Investigation: Greek Coast Guard kills over 40 migrants. Some were thrown overboard, according to witnesses.
Click to see story on antena3.roGreek Coast Guard throws migrants into the sea
Click to see story on haaretz.co.ilUnfolding Greek coastguard throws several migrants to their deaths in the Mediterranean
Click to see story on thairath.co.thGreek Coast Guard Accused of Killing More Than 40 Migrants – The Financial
Click to see story on financiarul.roBBC documentary: Greek coast guard throws illegal migrants into sea to stop influx – NieuwRechts.nl.
Click to see story on nieuwrechts.nlIn total, the report outlined 43 deaths attributed to the Greek authorities. It accused Greek authorities of killing people through negligence and murder.
The documentary, named “Dead Calm: Killing in the Med?,” largely focuses on the migrant ship disaster off of the coast of Greece on June 18, 2023.
The film appears to allege negligence during rescue operations on the capsized ship with hundreds of migrants. More than 600 migrants drowned. First-hand accounts and court documents stated the vessel may have sunk after Greek special forces attempted to tow it outside of Greek waters.
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Some asylum-seekers hold the traffickers who organized the ill-fated trip responsible but maintain Greek involvement in capsizing the vessel and abandoning the migrants at sea. Greek authorities disputed the accounts but also said that cameras on their ship were not working during the operation.
The allegations appear to be symbolic of a larger issue within Greek authorities’ handling of migrants. Human rights groups have long accused Greece of forcing thousands of refugees out, despite asylum rights being written into international and European Union law.
In another incident outlined in the BBC report, a Syrian refugee said that people on his boat called for help from the Greek coast guard after it stalled. He said the coast guard put him and others on a raft with a leaking valve.
The raft eventually sank and killed eight children, including the refugee’s. He said they cried out for help from Greek authorities but were ignored. The ship carried 85 people and the Turkish coast guard did not come to the migrants’ rescue until the next morning.
In a separate event, a BBC reporter showed a former Greek coast guard senior officer a video of a dozen people, including small children, being loaded onto a boat and then forced onto a small raft, only to be abandoned at sea. The former officer’s reaction was denial, but as the camera rolled during a break, he called his supervisor. While speaking in Greek, he called the actions in the video “obviously illegal” and “an international crime,” even questioning why they would do it in “broad daylight.”
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Greece’s main opposition party is demanding an investigation following the report. The party’s immigration policy chief said that they have called for accountability from the coast guard for years.
A government spokesperson for Greece called the BBC’s claims unproven but said that every complaint would be reviewed, adding that the coast guard “saves dozens of human lives every day,” and it is “wrong to target them.”
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
MASKED MEN ABDUCTING AND THROWING MIGRANTS INTO THE SEA.
FORCING ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND THEIR CHILDREN INTO OPEN WATERS ON ILL-FATED RAFTS.
THESE ACTIONS HAVE ALLEGEDLY LED TO THE DEATHS OF DOZENS OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS.
NOW A NEW DOCUMENTARY IS SHEDDING LIGHTS ON THE FATES OF HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.
THE FILM: ‘DEAD CALM: KILLING IN THE MED?” IS THE CULMINATION OF INVESTIGATIVE WORK BY THE B-B-C.
THEY ALLEGE THE ACTIONS FROM A GREEK SPECIAL OPERATIONS PATROL BOAT CREW CAPSIZED THEM LEADING TO THE DEATHS OF HUNDREDS IN ONE OF THE WORST REFUGEE BOAT DISASTERS IN MODERN HISTORY.
MORE THAN 600 PEOPLE DROWNED IN JUNE OF LAST YEAR WHEN THEIR BOAT CAPSIZED.
THE FILM IS REFOCUSING ATTENTION ON THAT INCIDENT – REVEALING FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS AND COURT DOCUMENTS.
WITNESSES SAY THE GREEK SPECIAL FORCES – MAY HAVE TOWED THE VESSEL OUTSIDE OF GREEK WATERS – AND THEN STOOD IDLY BY AS THEY WATCHED THE BOAT SINK.
THE SHOCKING ALLEGATIONS APPEAR TO BE PART OF A LARGER ISSUE WITH THE WAY GREEK AUTHORITIES ARE HANDLING THE INFLUX OF MIGRANTS FROM SYRIA AND OTHER NON-EU NATIONS.
GREECE HAS LONG-BEEN ACCUSED OF FORCING REFUGEES OUT OF THE COUNTRY. HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS SAY THESE PRACTICES CONTINUE DESPITE NEW ASYLUM REGULATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL LAW.
IN ONE INCIDENT, A SYRIAN REFUGEE SAID PEOPLE ON HIS BOAT CALLED FOR HELP FROM THE GREEK COAST GUARD AFTER IT STALLED.
HE SAYS THE COAST GUARD PUT HIM AND OTHERS ON A RAFT WITH A LEAKING VALVE. THE RAFT SANK– KILLING EIGHT CHILDREN. HE SAYS CRIES FOR HELP WERE IGNORED BY GREEK AUTHORITIES.
AND SHORTLY BEFORE THE DOCUMENTARY WAS RELEASED – THE BBC SHARED THIS VIDEO – IN WHICH A FORMER SENIOR OFFICER WITH THE GREEK COAST GUARD REACTS TO CLAIMS HIS AGENCY ABANDONED A DOZEN PEOPLE, INCLUDING SMALL CHILDREN ON A BOAT AT SEA.
[DMITRIS BALTAKOS]
“I CAN SEE PEOPLE GETTING ON BOARD THE VESSEL. DOESN’T SEEM LIKE IT’S FORCEFUL. CAN YOU SEE ANY SMALL CHILDREN? MMMM… YES. NOW, I CAN. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THAT VIDEO? I DON’T.”
[LAUREN TAYLOR]
WITH CAMERAS STILL ROLLING– HE CALLED HIS SUPERVISOR CONFLICTED WITH WHAT TO REVEAL.
GREECE’S MAIN OPPOSITION PARTY IS NOW DEMANDING AN INVESTIGATION IN THE WAKE OF THE REPORT. THEIR IMMIGRATION POLICY CHIEF SAYS HIS PARTY HAS CALLED FOR INCREASED ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE COAST GUARD FOR YEARS.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSON SAYS THE BBC’S CLAIMS ARE UNPROVEN BUT SAID EVERY COMPLAINT WILL BE REVIEWED. ADDING, THE COAST GUARD, ‘SAVES DOZENS OF HUMAN LIVES EVERY DAY,” AND IT IS “WRONG TO TARGET THEM.”
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Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Greek coastguard threw migrants overboard to their deaths, witnesses say
Click to see story on BBC NewsGreek coastguard accused of throwing migrants overboard to their death
Click to see story on The IndependentGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on Associated Press NewsGreek coastguard ‘threw migrants overboard to their deaths’
Click to see story on Daily MirrorGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on abc NewsGreek coastguard accused of ‘deliberately’ throwing migrants into the sea
Click to see story on Metro NewsGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on The Toronto StarBBC investigation, migrants thrown into the sea by the Greek Coast Guard: the government has long been accused of forced returns
Click to see story on La RepubblicaSea rescue: Greek coast guard threw migrants overboard, according to report
Click to see story on Zeit OnlineMigrants thrown into the sea by the Greek Coast Guard, a BBC investigation sheds light on ‘accidents’: ‘Up to 40 dead’
Click to see story on Il Fatto QuotidianoGreek coast guard allegedly threw migrants overboard — BBC report
Click to see story on SpiegelAccording to report, Greek coast guard allegedly threw migrants tied up into the sea
Click to see story on der Standard ATGreek coastguard accused of throwing migrants overboard to their deaths
Click to see story on Africa NewsBBC: Greek coast guard drove dozens of migrants to death with pushbacks, deliberately jettisoned nine people
Click to see story on NRC HandelsbladGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on KIFIGreece denies report of brutality to migrants, caused deaths of dozens at sea
Click to see story on South China Morning PostGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on KVIAGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on Winnipeg Free PressGreek coastguard threw migrants into sea after tying their hands: Report
Click to see story on WIONMigrants testify: “Greek coast guard deliberately throws people into the sea”
Click to see story on vrtGreek coastguards threw migrants from boats to their deaths in Mediterranean Sea: Report
Click to see story on Firstpost News‘Greek coast guard threw migrants handcuffed into the sea’
Click to see story on NOSGreek coastguard caused dozens of deaths in Mediterranean – including nine who were deliberately thrown in water, investigation finds
Click to see story on LBCGreek coastguard accused of ‘throwing migrants overboard to their deaths’
Click to see story on Daily ExpressGreek coastguard ‘threw migrants to their deaths’
Click to see story on The TelegraphGreek Coast Guard accused of causing deaths of dozens of migrants in Mediterranean
Click to see story on Anadolu AjansıGreek Coast Guard members allegedly pushed migrants into the sea
Click to see story on OrigoGreece’s Coastguard ‘Threw Migrants Overboard to Their Deaths’, BBC Claims
Click to see story on Greek ReporterRight
Untracked Bias
Allegation: Greek Coast Guard throws 9 migrants into the sea, killing 9 migrants
Click to see story on T24“Greek coast guard jettisoned at least 9 migrants”
Click to see story on Het NieuwsbladGreek Coast Guard accused of throwing migrants out the door and watching them die
Click to see story on PublicoGreece denies new report of brutality to migrants, including claim dozens were left to die at sea
Click to see story on My Mother LodeMigrants, the complaint: “The Greek coast guard throws them into the sea and leaves them to die.”
Click to see story on Quotidiano NazionaleMigrants thrown overboard? Report heavily implicates Greek coast guard.
Click to see story on rnd.deThe Greek Coast Guard reportedly killed more than 40 migrants when they were thrown into the sea, according to a report
Click to see story on EL ESPAÑOLMigrants thrown into the sea tied up? Shocking allegations against the Greek coast guard.
Click to see story on focus.deGreek coastguard threw migrants overboard to their deaths, witnesses say
Click to see story on Capital FM KenyaBBC: Greek coast guard threw people overboard.
Click to see story on rd.nlGreek Coast Guard Drops Migrants Back Into Sea, BBC
Click to see story on www.sme.skBBC: Greek Coast Guard Drops Migrants Into Sea – List Report
Click to see story on seznamzpravy.czThe Greek coast guard allegedly threw migrants onto the roof, witnesses say.
Click to see story on RTV SlovenijaGreek coastguard accused of migrant deaths in Aegean
Click to see story on philenews.comGreek coast guard allegedly threw migrants overboard, witnesses say
Click to see story on Česká televizeThrown into the sea or adrift: The Greek Coast Guard against migrants.
Click to see story on El SaltoInvestigated by a BBC report, Greece denies having caused the death of rejected migrants.
Click to see story on Le TempsGreek coastguard ‘threw migrants overboard to their deaths’: BBC
Click to see story on The New ArabWitnesses for BBC: Greek coastguard threw migrants into sea, nine drowned
Click to see story on n1info.rsCoast Guard allegedly throwing migrants onto the roof.
Click to see story on slovenskenovice.siGreek Coast Guard Drops Migrants Back Into Sea, BBC
Click to see story on hnonline.skBBC: Greek Coast Guard allegedly threw migrants onto the roof.
Click to see story on sta.siGreek coast guard drops migrants back into the sea, reports BBC | Českénoviny.cz
Click to see story on ceskenoviny.czBBC Investigation: Greek Coast Guard kills over 40 migrants. Some were thrown overboard, according to witnesses.
Click to see story on antena3.roGreek Coast Guard throws migrants into the sea
Click to see story on haaretz.co.ilUnfolding Greek coastguard throws several migrants to their deaths in the Mediterranean
Click to see story on thairath.co.thGreek Coast Guard Accused of Killing More Than 40 Migrants – The Financial
Click to see story on financiarul.roBBC documentary: Greek coast guard throws illegal migrants into sea to stop influx – NieuwRechts.nl.
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