A team of Auditors – Inspectors of the National Transparency Authority (NTA) completed an investigation, which started on 15.11.2021 and was completed on 24/03/2022, on the management of migratory flows in the Greek territory by the competent national institutions.
The investigation was triggered by a publication of the news platform "LightHouse Reports" in cooperation with other foreign media under the title "UNMASKING EUROPE'S SHADOW ARMIES", in which there were allegations of actions of informal forced repatriations of irregular migrants by masked groups, a survey was carried out on the operational activities of the competent national institutions regarding the surveillance of maritime and land borders, while at the same time gathering the views of local communities on how these institutions manage irregular migration flows.
The reports in the publication on refoulement were thoroughly investigated on the basis of a structured monitoring programme, which was drawn up following a study of the national, EU and international legal framework and an assessment of the information contained in the publication. More specifically, on-site visits and autopsies were carried out at critical points of the border management exercise and interviews and examinations were conducted with military officers, residents and guests on the islands of the North and South Aegean (Mytilene-Samos-Kos-Rhodes-Kastelorizo-Symi), as well as in cities of the Evros prefecture (Alexandroupoli-Orestiada-Didymoteicho).
In order to investigate the allegations of refoulement in our country and to collect evidence to substantiate the allegations mentioned in the publication of the "LightHouse Reports" platform, the audit team contacted the stakeholders in order to seek and provide usable audit documentation and, then a macroscopic and laboratory examination of the provided evidence (video and photographic material), with the assistance of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Hellenic Police, in order to determine the authenticity and authenticity of the material, as well as the existence of identifying data (metadata such as time stamps, geographical location, etc.) of the available audiovisual files.
All the testimonies and other data elements taken into account in the investigation have revealed the application of a structured process flow within a strict protocol of actions and coordinated actions, which form the framework for the competent authorities' activities. As regards the content of the “Lighthouse Reports” publication, the allegations made in that publication concerning informal forced returns were not confirmed, since, following the completion of the audit programme and the laboratory tests of the material concerned, no evidence of them was found.