Watch: DW video 05-03-2025
Swedish former Frontex Operation Leader says what he saw in 2020 broke the law: “It is not according to the human rights”. More precise it is a direct violation of the Geneva Refugee Convention of 1951. He reported the incident to his Frontex superior but: “He immediately reacted very negatively to this information. He said it could be a problem for me if i did this.It will have ‘some consequences’.” Immediately after this the Swedish Frontex patrol boat was sent to an area where there were hardly any migrant crossings. “We felt it was a punishment”.
Pushbacks in the Mediterranean Sea have been a common practice for years. An internal report by EU anti-fraud office OLAF says it has been proven that Frontex management commited gross misconduct.
Former Frontex director Leggeri: “In febr 2020 Frontex and Greece agreed to send migrants back”. This means denying them the opportunity to submit an asylum claim. “If we rescue these people, it means we send them back. Maybe they will stay in an European reception centre in North-Africa” (? typ?).
New Frontex director Hans Leijtens in 2023: “I am responsible for the fact that my people don’t participate in anything called pushback”.
DW video now shows: proof of pushback in 2024 with participation of Bulgarian Frontex patrol boat and pushback in 2025 with participation of Latvian Frontex patrol boat.
