The number of Turkish asylum seekers illegally sent back home by Greek border officials has risen dramatically amid a surge in migration fuelled by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s crackdown on opponents.

Figures obtained by The Telegraph show Greece has carried out 233 illegal “push-backs” of Turkish nationals since May alone.

Greek border agents have been routinely accused of illegally turning back migrants crossing from Turkey to the EU, sometimes blocking boats from crossing the Aegean Sea.

Most migrants making the journey are travelling through Turkey on the way from countries such as Syria or Afghanistan.

But diminishing political freedoms in Turkey have led to an alarming rise in Turkish nationals seeking refuge in Europe.

Despite political tension between Athens and Ankara, Greek border guards are now returning growing numbers of Turkish migrants thought to be fleeing an increasingly authoritarian regime.

Through sources on both sides of the border, a Telegraph investigation has tracked Turkish nationals who made it to Greece over several months.

‘Push-backs’ include men, women and children

A total of 98 such pushbacks were recorded in 2019. This has risen to 233 since May 2021, including 76 arrests forming part of a crackdown targeting Turkish and Kurdish dissidents. This number includes 61 women, 149 men, and 23 children.

These figures also comprise three Turkish men pushed back in September from 6.25 miles inland on the Greek Island of Samos. They were allegedly beaten by Greek officials on an illegal boat journey back.

The men swam a 2.25 mile shortcut with the help of a “sea-scooter” propulsion device from the Turkish coastal town of Kusadasi. 

They then walked 6.25 miles to the centre of Samos where they say port police picked them up. Travel bans imposed by the Erdogan government meant they could not leave the country using legal means.

Athens has continually dismissed allegations of illegal pushbacks.

Anthimos Sideris, a Greek lawyer following their case, says there is “serious evidence to help launch an investigation into illegal pushback actions apparently committed by some members of the Greek coastguard”.

Sideris said Samos police denied any knowledge of the three men on the island when he contacted them.