Greek authorities in Evros are alleged to be recruiting asylum seekers to participate in violent pushbacks of other asylum seekers toward Turkey, according to a BBC investigation.
The report is based on evidence gathered from testimonies of asylum seekers, former “mercenaries,” police sources, internal documents, and leaked conversations. The allegations concern incidents said to have been taking place since at least 2020, with the most recent recorded case dating to October 2025.
According to internal police documents, guards describe that the recruitment of the so-called “mercenaries” was ordered and supervised by senior officers. These groups, consisting of dozens of individuals—mainly from countries such as Syria, Pakistan, and Afghanistan—are alleged to take part in the pushback of hundreds of people on a weekly basis.
Testimonies claim that these groups, often with their faces covered, carry out serious human rights violations, including forced stripping, robberies, beatings, and in some cases sexual abuse.
Pushbacks (the forced return of asylum seekers across borders without due legal process) are illegal under international law.
There are also indications that participants are paid, either by keeping money and belongings taken from other migrants or by receiving documents that facilitate their movement within Greece.
At the same time, however, the BBC also records testimonies suggesting coercion in their recruitment. A former “mercenary” from Morocco says he spent around 10 weeks working at the border. His duties included transporting people back to Turkey and burning any remaining belongings of asylum seekers in order to “destroy” evidence.
He insists he did not use violence against anyone but witnessed other mercenaries from Afghanistan beating asylum seekers. He also stated that the officer who recruited him would regularly come to collect mobile phones and cash in euros that had been taken from asylum seekers. The mercenaries were only allowed to keep cash from Turkey and Middle Eastern countries.
The Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, told the BBC that he was “completely unaware” of the allegations, while Greek authorities have not responded to the outlet’s written requests for an official comment.
Source: BBC
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