A 5-year-old girl from a group of Syrian and Palestinian refugees, who had been trapped on the island since August 7, died. Evros riverwhere they were allegedly promoted based on their testimony under threat from Turkish troops. Last Monday, after crossing the river, 38 people were seen in the area with. Lavaron and were delivered to Prison Reception and Identification Center. A woman eight months pregnant was taken to the hospital.

Mitarakis is located in Phylakio.

Minister of Immigration and Asylum Notis Mitarakis was yesterday in Filakio and said that from the statements of the members of the group it follows that a 5-year-old child died. He said the Greek authorities would consider International Red Cross so that his family could find and bury the body with dignity, and pointed out that the islet on which the girl died was Turkish territory. “Turkish authorities have arrested these migrants inside Turkey, did not give them the right to apply for international protection, as Turkey is obliged to do in accordance with international law. On the contrary, the Turkish gendarmerie took them to the shores of Evros and forced them to come to Greece under the threat of violence,” said Mr. Mitarakis.

However, in previous days, the non-governmental organizations Human Rights 360 and the Hellenic Council for Refugees, which had telephone contact with a group of Syrians and Palestinians, reported that the island was in Greek territory and demanded their immediate rescue. They referred to data from the National Land Cadastre, as well as a Google map, indicating that the stamp in their possession indicates that the island is Greek territory. On August 14, the Greek police reported that they had carried out “repeated searches with all appropriate technical means without detecting the presence of a person”, and that the coordinates were transmitted to the competent services of the armed forces, “who indicated that this was a point outside Greek territory.” According to available evidence, the death of a five-year-old girl is associated with a scorpion sting. Another 9-year-old girl, who was also reportedly bitten and had a fever, was examined by a doctor at the reception and identification center yesterday and is in a satisfactory condition.

According to the testimony of members of the Syrian-Palestinian group, a scorpion killed a five-year-old girl.

According to an October 8 Al Jazeera report, members of the refugee group reported that some of them were on the same island in mid-July, trying to cross to Greece, “but were returned to Turkey by the Greek authorities.” There they were arrested by Turkish troops, initially detained without access to the asylum procedure, and “at gunpoint they were asked to cross over to Greece again.”

Organizations Human Rights 360 as well as Greek Council for Refugees they note that several members of the group received deportation orders from Turkey to Syria, copies of which were brought to the attention of the European Court of Human Rights. The ECtHR issued safeguards on 20/7 and 9/8 ordering Greece to provide humanitarian assistance and not transfer members of the group to Turkey.

In Lavar

On August 15, the Greek police announced that 38 refugees were in the area of ​​Lavara, “about four kilometers south of the coordinates outside the Greek territory, which was declared a place of origin a few days ago.” They crossed from the islet to the opposite bank in an inflatable boat, which, according to the British network Channel 4, belonged to another group of migrants who swam across the river on Saturday. According to the Police, in the quarter from May to July 2022, the number of arrests of traffickers increased by 58.7% compared to the corresponding period last year.