Turkey has rescued 381 migrants, including asylum-seekers, in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey over the past week, the Turkish Coast Guard Command said on Saturday.
Between June 5 and 11, a total of 381 migrants were held or rescued in 14 incidents, the coast guard said on Twitter.
Three smugglers were also arrested, it added, sharing four photos from the rescue operations where the Turkish teams in full protective gear were seen taking migrants’ temperatures.
Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants seeking to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.
Turkey earlier this year opened its gates for irregular migrants wanting to cross to Europe, accusing the European Union of failing to keep its promises under a 2016 migrant deal.
Greece’s response to those trying to enter the country without prior authorization has been harsh, with at least three migrants having been killed by Greek security forces along the land border with Turkey. Many others have been battered and teargassed.
Human Rights Watch urged Greece and the EU to respect human rights in light of Turkey’s new policy of refusing to halt migrants and refugees trying to leave for Greece.
Ankara already hosts over 3.5 million Syrian migrants, more than any other country in the world, and says it cannot handle another wave.
So far this year, Turkey’s Coast Guard Command has rescued hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers off the Aegean coast after they were forced by Greece into Turkish territorial waters.
Turkish officials have also said Greece’s coast guard had attempted to sink boats carrying migrants and refugees toward the Greek islands, opening fire and hitting people on board with long sticks.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) last week also voiced alarm over reports of pushbacks and collective expulsions of migrants, in some cases violent, from Greece.
“IOM, together with partners, are closely monitoring the situation and have received reports of migrants being arbitrarily arrested in Greece and pushed back to Turkey and violence perpetrated against migrants by some border personnel,” the global migration agency said in a statement.
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