The respondent first attempted to reach Europe through Bulgaria but reported that they were  pushed back. They then reportedly attempted to reach Greece from Turkey, but their initial attempt to reach Samos also resulted in a pushback.

The respondent described that they traveled from Orfa to Izmir, where they stayed for over one month while waiting for their departure. According to the respondent, the group eventually departed at around 2 a.m. on the night of 14 September 2024. The respondent reported the group spent approximately six hours at sea, and that there were 25 people on the boat: 13 men aged 20 to 25, 5 men over 40, and the remainder were children, as young as 10 years old. All the minors were reportedly accompanied by family members. The group consisted of individuals from Palestine and Syria.

According to the respondent, at around 8am, the group was in Greek waters. The respondent recalls they could see the shores of Samos and identified where they wished to land with the boat. The respondent estimates that they were approximately 10 to 15 minutes away from reaching the shore.

The respondent reported that the group saw a large grey vessel approaching their direction. He explained that the vessel had been stationed near the shore and began moving toward them once the group became visible. Although the respondent initially did not know who they were, they later deduced that the vessel was likely operated by the Hellenic Coast Guard. This conclusion was reportedly based on recognizing the boat that had pushed them back as identical to those seen docked at the Samos port when they successfully reached the island on their second attempt. During the interview, the respondent identified a grey Hellenic Coast Guard vessel on a picture stating it was identical to the one that had reportedly pushed them back.

The respondent reported the grey vessel approached them quickly and stopped the respondent’s boat. He explained that the vessel was very fast and did not slow down as it neared their boat, causing large waves. However, according to the respondent, the grey vessel – which had five or six men aboard – neither overturned nor struck the group’s boat. The five or six men reportedly threw a rope toward the group and used it to pull their boat closer to the vessel.

The respondent reported that two of those men were armed with weapons that he described as “machine guns”. He explained that, although the armed men did not point their weapons at the group, they held them in their hands while shouting at them. All the men were reportedly dressed in blue uniforms—blue t-shirts and pants—with a Greek flag displayed on the left side of the t-shirt. They were also wearing ski masks that covered their faces, leaving only their eyes visible. As a result, the respondent could not see their hair or mouths. The respondent estimates that the men were between 20 and 30 years old.

According to the respondent, the five or six men brought the group members onto the grey vessel and forced them to sit on one side of the boat, while they were individually searched. As reported by the respondent, two or three men from the grey vessel, unarmed, carried out the searches. The respondent described that the men conducting the searches spoke in English, demanding money and phones from the group. They instructed people to act quickly, threatening them with beatings if they did not comply. According to the respondent, each person was required to remove their jacket and boots, after which they were searched beneath their clothing. The jackets and boots were reportedly returned to the group after the searches were completed. The respondent reported that once the phones were collected, the five or six men took them inside the cabin of the boat. 

The respondent described incidents of physical violence against some members of their group. According to him, an adult man was slapped by one of the men from the grey vessel for not understanding the instruction to remove his boots and taking too long to comply, while another man was kicked while sitting on the floor because his minor brother, approximately 12 years old, was caught hiding a phone. The minor was also shouted at. Lastly, the respondent mentioned a third man who was punched in the face for failing to understand what he was being asked to do.

The respondent reported that after everyone in the group had been searched, the five or six men threw the engine motor of the group’s boat into the sea, and took the fuel aboard the grey vessel. The grey vessel then began moving away from Samos, towing the group’s boat behind it while keeping the group on the vessel. The respondent explained that the five or six men did not speak to the group, and that he could not identify the language they were using to speak among themselves.

According to the respondent, the grey vessel stopped in Turkish waters, and the group was forced back onto their small boat. The respondent described instances of violence, reporting that the five or six men struck members of the group while pushing them onto their boat. The respondent reported the five or six men shouted at the group in a language the respondent could not recognize.

After the group was pushed back onto their boat in Turkish waters, the men from the grey vessels reportedly threw the phones and some of the people’s bags into the sea as they were shouting at people for them to see what they were doing with their belongings.  

The respondent explained how the group was left stranded at sea without a motor or any means of movement. The respondent reported the grey vessel moved a bit further and patrolled the area until the group was spotted by a Turkish Coast Guard vessel, around 10 to 15 minutes after being abandoned by the grey vessel, leading the respondent to believe that the grey vessel may have contacted the Turkish Coast Guards.

The respondent reported the Turkish Coast Guards shouted at the group in Turkish before leaving them at sea, as the respondent explained, to attend to another boat. According to the respondent, about 20 to 30 minutes later, the Turkish boat returned and the group was taken aboard.

The respondent explained the Turkish Coast Guard took the group to a “center” where they stayed for two days. The group was then reportedly transferred to a police station, where they were held for a further seven days, before they were taken to a prison specifically for foreigners, where the respondent described he remained for two to three more days. According to the respondent, some members of the group were deported back to Syria.

After the incident, the respondent reported he returned to Izmir and went through the entire process again. On their second attempt, they successfully reached Samos.

At the end of the interview the respondent explained they had heard about pushbacks before attempting to reach Greece. Still, they also explained they did not expect to be pushed back by the Greek coast guards. The respondent explained when they first saw the grey vessel they expected they would approach them to help the group.