Members of the Finnish Border Guard are to continue to take part in an international operation of monitoring the border between Greece and Turkey in spite of accusations that illegal immigrants have been mistreated in connection with the operation.
Human Rights Watch says in its annual report which was published a week ago that the EU’s border security agency Frontex is helping Greek officials catch illegal immigrants and to take them to detention centres.
Taking part in the operation is a unit of about 70 Frontex personnel, including four members of the Finnish Border Guard. A fast Finnish patrol boat has also being used in the Greek operation.
The border between Greece and Turkey is one of the main routes used by illegal immigrants to get into the European Union. Last year about 55,000 illegal immigrants were stopped at the border.
The countries of origin included Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. So many cross the border at the Evros River or at the Aegean Sea that detention centres that have been set up for them are packed full.
The Human Rights Watch report describes horrific conditions at the detention centres, with guards in some of them wearing surgical masks because of the bad smell in the overcrowded buildings. The conditions have also been criticised by the European Court of Human rights.
Frontex emphasises that the detention centres are the responsibility of Greece, and that Frontex has repeatedly tried to address the poor conditions there.
The Finnish Border Guard has so far not seen any reason to pull out of the operation.
“What is the alternative? If Frontex leaves Greece it would not change the situation for the better”, says Kari Loukkaanhuhta, an expert in border security at the Finnish Border Guard.
