Assailants Attack Migrant Boats Near Greece

At least eight cases of masked and often armed men intercepting boats with refugees and migrants on board on their way from Turkey to Greece, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Masked men have attacked boats carrying migrants and asylum seekers in the Aegean Sea, a prominent rights watchdog said Thursday.

At least eight cases of masked and often armed men intercepting boats with refugees and migrants on board on their way from Turkey to Greece, have been reported by Human Rights Watch (HRW), citing witnesses, most recently on October 7-9.

According to HRW, witnesses have reported that the attackers deliberately damaged boats or towed them to Turkish waters in some cases.

Greek border guards have also allegedly returned migrants and asylum seekers to Turkey across the countries' shared land border, the watchdog reported.

The rights watchdog called for "an urgent response from the Greek authorities" to the incidents.

Greece has become a gateway for refugees from the Middle East and North Africa fleeing poverty and violence in their countries.

The number of migrants who have crossed the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 to arrive in Greece is 15 times higher than in the preceding year, according to the International Organization for Migration.