The United Nations expressed, on Friday, its shock and deep regret at the death of 19 migrants who froze at the Greek border.
This came in response to the spokesman of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Boris Checherkov, to the question of the Anatolia correspondent, about his opinion on the Greek forces forcing the migrants to return to the Turkish territorial waters.
During a press conference held at the United Nations office in the Swiss city of Geneva, Cheshirkov said that he saw the circulating news of the deaths of migrants freezing on the Greek border.
“We were shocked by these images and deeply regretted, and we received reports of human deaths between the Greek-Turkish borders,” he added.
He stressed that the United Nations is working to verify these reports, adding, “What I can say is that for a long time, especially during the last two years, we have received a large number of reports of human rights violations at the land and sea borders.”
He described the deaths of 19 migrants at the Greek border as “alarming,” saying, “Such tragic deaths can be prevented by establishing orderly and safe routes that will prevent people from turning to smugglers.”
It is noteworthy that the Turkish authorities found the bodies of 11 migrants two days ago near the Greek border in the state of Edirne (northwest), and transferred another to the hospital, where he also died as a result of the cold they were exposed to.
