Greece 'Using Pakistani, Afghan Migrants' As Enforcers To Push Other Migrants At Border: Report

Last Updated:April 14, 2026, 18:05 IST

The report claims these “mercenaries” are rewarded with cash, mobile phones taken from migrants, and in some cases documents that allow them to move more freely in Greece.

Police in Greece have been recruiting migrants from countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria to violently push other migrants back across the land border with Turkey, according an investigation by the BBC.

The investigation claims these so-called “mercenaries" are rewarded with cash, mobile phones taken from migrants, and in some cases documents that allow them to move more freely through Greece. Internal police documents also suggest the recruitment and use of these groups was ordered and overseen by senior officers.

The alleged practice, which witnesses and sources say has been ongoing since at least 2020, is said to involve serious violence. Migrants have reported being stripped, beaten, robbed and in some cases sexually assaulted during operations carried out in the heavily militarised Evros border region.

Pushbacks—forcing migrants and asylum seekers back across borders without due process—are widely considered illegal under international law.

The BBC’s report further said it has gathered accounts from migrants, former mercenaries, police sources, official documents and leaked transcripts, as well as reviewing disturbing video material linked to incidents along the border.

A police source in the region told the BBC that such groups have been used to push back “hundreds of people a week", adding that “there is no soldier, police officer or Frontex officer serving here in Evros who does not know that pushbacks are taking place."

The Evros region forms a 200km frontier between Greece and Turkey and is part of the European Union’s external border. Refugees crossing the Evros River enter a restricted, militarised zone with surveillance watchtowers.

In one reported incident from June 2023, migrants were allegedly ambushed by masked men after entering Greek territory.

A report by the Fundamental Rights Office, an independent body within Frontex, had found that between 10 and 20 third-country nationals appeared to have acted under instruction from Greek officers and carried out abuses including threats, beatings, and sexualised searches before forcibly returning migrants to Turkey.

The BBC also reported that one border guard told a disciplinary hearing they had reported allegations that mercenaries had raped female migrants. Other witnesses described extreme violence, including assaults until victims lost consciousness.

The Greek authorities have denied key allegations in past cases, while Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told the BBC in March that he was “totally unaware" of claims involving migrant mercenaries. Authorities did not respond to detailed requests for comment in relation to the latest findings.

News world Greece 'Using Pakistani, Afghan Migrants' As Enforcers To Push Other Migrants At Border: Report

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