Greece faulted for deporting migrants

ATHENS - An international human rights group said Greece is illegally deporting migrants and accused neighboring Turkey of detaining potential asylum seekers indefinitely in inhumane conditions.

In a 120-page report released yesterday, New York-based Human Rights Watch said summary deportations across the Greek-Turkish border are "systematic."

Greek authorities said they had no comment on the report, while Turkish officials were not immediately available for comment.

Greece is a busy transit point for immigrants seeking entry into the European Union.

Based on 173 confidential interviews of illegal immigrants, the report cited accounts of Greek police loading illegal migrants onto small boats after being caught and sending them across a river back into Turkey, in some cases after allegedly "disabling" vessels.

"Our conclusion is that the practice of summary expulsions across the Evros River is systematic and routine," said Bill Frelick, refugee policy director at Human Right Watch, who was the main author of the report.

ASSOCIATED PRESS