A Cameroonian asylum seeker has accused Greek border guards of throwing him into the sea, along with two other men who died, a media investigation published on Thursday said.
Greece has denied the claims.
The man told Germany's Der Spiegel, Britain's Guardian, France's Mediapart and the Netherlands-based Lighthouse Reports that he and the two other West Africans were taken from the Greek island of Samos, near the sea border with Turkey.
The other men — one from Cameroon and the other from Ivory Coast — were found dead by Turkish officials last September, the report said.
But Greece's Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi dismissed the report as "fake news" fuelled by "Turkish propaganda".
"In the absence of any action by the Turkish authorities, the Greek coastguard continues to save the lives of thousands of men, women and children at sea every year," Mr Mitarachi said.
He claimed they had rescued "230,000 people from third countries in danger at sea" from 2015 to 2021.
Journalists in the investigation interviewed witnesses and analysed medical reports, photos and videos, as well as talking to informants from the Greek security authorities.
Two Greek officials reportedly said that the authorities repeatedly pushed migrants into the sea, mainly in small groups.
The Greek authorities have denied the allegations.
Der Spiegel reported that Greek lawyers were preparing a complaint in a local court, while Turkish lawyers have filed a case with the European Court of Human Rights.
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Ethiopian domestic workers wearing masks sit together with their belongings in front of the Ethiopian consulate in Hazmiyeh, Lebanon. Reuters -
Ethiopian domestic workers wait outside their country's consulate to register for repatriation, in Hazmieh suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP -
Ethiopian domestic workers wait outside their country's consulate to register for repatriation, in Hazmieh suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP -
Ethiopian domestic workers who were dismissed by their employers gather with their belongings outside their country's embassy in Hazmiyeh, east of Beirut. AFP -
Ethiopian domestic workers who were dismissed by their employers gather with their belongings outside their country's embassy in Hazmiyeh, east of Beirut. AFP -
Staff from an NGO, Caritas Lebanon, carry luggage for stranded Ethiopian women in Beirut. Finbar Anderson for The National -
A woman waits to be called to take her place on the bus. Finbar Anderson for The National -
Women wait on a the bus to be taken to shelters, where they will stay until Beirut’s airport reopens. Finbar Anderson for The National -
A group of women take the lift while waiting for transport to the shelter run by Caritas Lebanon. Finbar Anderson for The National
Since May 2021, the Turkish coastguard has claimed that 29 people had been thrown into the water, Der Spiegel said.
Turkey regularly accuses Greek officials of illegally pushing migrants back into its territory. Athens denies the claims.
This month, Turkey said it found 19 frozen bodies close to the Greek border.
Ankara accused Greece of allowing the migrants to die in the winter cold after stripping them of their clothes and forcing them back across the border.
