'Sense of impunity' for human rights abuses at EU borders - report

Human rights abuses on the European Union's borders are under-investigated by national authorities, and "a sense of impunity prevails," an EU report alleged on Tuesday.

"There are very few national investigations of incidents resulting in the loss of life and alleged ill-treatment of migrants and refugees at borders," the report by the Vienna-based EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) said. "Very few national court proceedings lead to convictions."

Border protection is a fraught topic in the EU. Governments - particularly on the union's eastern and southern frontiers - are under intense public pressure to reduce irregular migration and to stop unauthorized crossings at land and sea borders. But some campaign groups point to the hardships irregular migrants face and argue for them to be taken in.

The FRA report cites allegations of "physical violence, ill-treatment, failure to rescue people in distress, stripping people of their clothing, stealing and/or destroying their property, forced separation of families and summary expulsion of those seeking asylum."

For instance, the report states that in 2022, Greek police on the island of Kos allegedly subjected two Palestinians to physical and sexual abuse before abandoning them on a life raft at sea, after which the pair were rescued by Turkish coastguards.

According to the FRA, victims are taking their cases to the European Court of Human Rights - which is not affiliated to the EU - because of the rarity of convictions in national courts.

The agency calls for national authorities to conduct "prompt and effective investigations," to provide adequate evidence and to involve victims in those investigations.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said the EU's executive arm was aware of the FRA's report and was considering the proposals put forward.

"Our position has been always clear: Member states must fully respect the obligations under EU law, and international law, including ensuring effective investigations," she said.

A separate report from the non-governmental organization (NGO) Amnesty International was highly critical of an EU-funded reception centre on the Greek Island of Samos.

People in the centre in Samos did not have enough water, sufficient healthcare or even beds, Amnesty International said, describing the facility as a "dystopian nightmare."

"The living conditions of residents, especially during times of overcrowding in the centre, may have amounted to inhumane and degrading conditions," the NGO said.

The Samos centre was earmarked as a model for future reception facilities on the bloc's borders to be set up in the roll-out of the EU's new Migration and Asylum Pact.

The same commission spokeswoman said the EU executive arm "has continuously supported the Greek authorities" to improve the living conditions at reception centres.

The commission also plans to standardize the rules for the living conditions in the reception centres to be set up in the future, she said.