In a disturbing development that has reached the highest courts in Europe, the Greek government is facing renewed condemnation for its “shadow” border tactics. Reports throughout 2025 and into early 2026 highlight a persistent and systematic strategy: the recruitment of masked third-country nationals to perform the “dirty work” of pushing asylum seekers back across the Turkish border.
This practice, long denied by Athens, has now been verified by international human rights watchdogs and landmark legal rulings from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).
The “Auxiliary” System: How It Works
According to investigations by Human Rights Watch and the Border Violence Monitoring Network, the process follows a chillingly predictable pattern at the Evros River land border:
Detention: Greek police detain asylum seekers, often stripping them of their phones, money, and outer clothing.
The Handover: Instead of being registered, the migrants are handed over to “unidentified masked men” wearing black or commando-style uniforms.
The Forced Return: These masked men—who often speak Arabic or South Asian languages—pilot small boats to the middle of the river and force the asylum seekers into the water to wade back to the Turkish bank.
Survivors have reported that these masked “auxiliaries” are often migrants themselves, allegedly promised transit documents or legal status in exchange for assisting the Greek police.
2025-2026: A Legal Reckoning
While the Greek government has historically labeled these reports as “fake news,” the legal landscape changed significantly this year.
ECtHR Landmark Ruling (January 2026): In a major decision, the European Court of Human Rights found that Greece had violated an asylum seeker’s rights as part of a “systematic” practice of pushbacks of third-country nationals from the Evros region to Türkiye.
Frontex Investigation (2025-2026): News emerged in April 2026 that Frontex, the EU’s border agency, is investigating 12 cases of potential human rights violations related to these pushbacks.
Criminalization of Solidarity: While the government faces legal pressure, it has doubled down on activists. In early 2026, Greek prosecutors issued arrest warrants for activists like Tommy Olsen of Aegean Boat Report, accusing them of “facilitating illegal entry” for documenting these very pushbacks.
