Yemeni migrant family throw into sea by Greek border crew

A Yemeni family attempting to cross into Europe through Greece was thrown into the cold Mediterranean Sea by Greek coast guard units, Anadolu News Agency reports.

According to the report, three members of the family, Mahgdi Kalla and Fatima Mahmud, a couple, and their cousin, Mucahed Abduljavad, left Yemen in December 2021 and travelled to Turkey’s Aegean province of Izmir using an illegal route.

These Yemeni refugees boarded a rubber boat carrying a group of Yemeni asylum-seekers and crossed to the Greek island of Chios.

However, their happiness was short-lived.

The Greek coast guard caught them, put them on a boat and then threw three migrants into Turkish territorial waters.

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Kalla, Abduljavad and another Yemeni named Mahad Adinare were thrown into the sea.

The report says Turkish coast guard units carried out first aid on the survivors and have launched a search operation for Abduljavad.

Recounting his ordeal, Kalla said the Greek coast guard units took away their cell phones and money.

“They put us on a small boat. There were also Greek soldiers with us. After 20 minutes of sailing, they removed our handcuffs. We had child-sized life jackets on us that we could not fit in. They threw us into the water. We had told the Greek soldiers we could not swim. They threw us into the sea and left,” Kalla said.

Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for asylum-seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.