Syria group files for probe of Greece migrant abuse

A Washington-based Syrian rights group filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday, calling for an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity by Greece for its alleged mistreatment of refugees. The Syria Justice and Accountability Center said witness testimony and video evidence support its claims of mistreatment and abuse of refugees at Greece's borders and inside overcrowded camps.It cites instances of security guards using tear gas to disperse refugee protests, and shabby and unhealthy conditions at the sprawling camps.

Mohammad Al-Abdallah, the group's executive director, said this was the first legal challenge to the European Union over its treatment of refugees.

Al-Abdallah said that by resorting to international law, he hoped the case would influence debate in individual EU member states.

Since 2015, large numbers of migrants have crammed into small dinghies on dangerous journeys over the Mediterranean Sea to escape fighting and persecution, overwhelming the European asylum system.Over one million migrants arrived, many of them Syrian refugees, entering the Greek islands via Turkey.The mistreatment documented since March 2016, the Syrian group argues, extends to Greece’s territorial waters where it has alleged that authorities sabotaged migrant boats, leaving them to drift back to sea - even pushing them back into the water.

Such “pushback" incidents are considered contrary to international refugee protection agreements, which state that people shouldn’t be expelled or returned to a country where their life and safety may be in danger.

Prosecutors at the ICC will review the case before deciding whether to open a full-scale investigation, which would likely take months to complete.