Four migrants who were lucky enough to survive the bitter cold, unlike 19 others, after being pushed back by Greece toward the Turkish border recounted their plight as they called for migrants to be treated humanely.
At least 19 irregular migrants were found frozen to death near the Greek-Turkish border after Greek border officials stripped them of their clothes and pushed them back to Turkish territory.
Riyaz A., a Bangladeshi national who is one of the survivors, told reporters that he is devastated by the loss of his friends as he outlined the mistreatment by Greek authorities.
"They didn't give us food or water for three days. We were not properly dressed for the weather, it was raining a lot. They pushed us back to Turkey. Some of us moved fast while others took a rest. We did not rest, continued and found a vehicle. Then a Turkish soldier gave us shoes, coats, food. Because of this treatment we received, we survived," he said.
The survivor said they want their voices to be heard and irregular migrants to be treated humanely.
"We are human ... the European Union sees and hears this. My friends died because they (Greece) pushed them back while they were wearing thin clothes. No country in the world treats migrants like this. We come from a poor place. We are not here to steal, we are here to work," he said.
Muhammed T., another Bangladeshi national, also said that they were subjected to mistreatment in Greece.
Speaking to reporters, Syrian national Ahmed Mustafa said he started his journey to Europe but was caught in Greece and imprisoned for four days.
"They beat us, tortured us. They treated us very badly. They have no mercy, they treat everyone badly. They sent us across the border to Turkey and chased us with sticks. Some of us were sent back naked. They also took our phones. May Allah be pleased with the Turkish soldiers, they gave us food and clothes," he said.
In tears, another Syrian national, Enver Yılmaz, said Greek border officials stripped them of their clothes and beat them.
"They took us to a wet and cold prison. The blankets where we were staying were all wet. We froze. They treat women, children, everyone badly," he said.
"They put us in boats like that (naked) and pushed us back to the Turkish side. May Allah be pleased with the Turkish soldiers and Turkey. They gave us shoes, clothes and food."
On Thursday, Turkish authorities recovered the bodies of seven more migrants who were said to be pushed back by Greek border forces, raising the death toll from 12 on Wednesday.
The migrants were found frozen to death in the northwestern province of Edirne, which shares a border with Greece.
Commenting on the incident, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan slammed the EU's border protection agency Frontex for cooperating with Greece and the bloc for turning a blind eye to the deaths of migrants. It is unacceptable to remain indifferent to such an incident, he said.
"Frontex is a useless EU organization that does nothing but provide assistance to Greece, which lets migrants die at sea, borders," Erdoğan told reporters in a news conference on Thursday before heading to Ukraine.
Erdoğan said he would bring up the issue of the alleged ill-treatment of migrants by Greece during every meeting he holds with world leaders.
“We will lead our struggle in front of the world,” he said. “We will continue to be on the side of the oppressed. We consider this to be our humanitarian duty.”
Meanwhile, Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi issued a statement on Twitter saying that the incident was a "tragedy."
However, he denied that Greek forces had pushed them back toward Turkey, saying any suggestion otherwise "is patently false."
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.
Turkey and international human rights groups have repeatedly condemned Greece's illegal practice of pushing back asylum-seekers, saying it violates humanitarian values and international law by endangering the lives of vulnerable people, including women and children.
