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Giorgos Christides Profile picture
Giorgos Christides
@g_christides
Journalist/Greece Bylines: @derspiegel, @BBCNews, @guardian, @we_are_solomon Tips: g_christides@protonmail.com Iraklis FC and dog fan
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Sep 17, 2022 • 11 tweets • 5 min read
Migration Minister @nmitarakis says the Supreme Court has launched an investigation & is blaming "international media" for basing their reporting about the fate of the Syrian girl in #Evros "only on testimonies". Seriously now? 1/11 2/11 First, his and the gov's whole "fake news" rhetoric is a direct & undue influence on an ongoing judicial investigation.

“New evidence clearly challenges the lie about a dead child"

Where & under what authority he got this evidence remains unclear
Aug 27, 2022 • 12 tweets • 3 min read
Την περασμένη εβδομάδα πέρασα πολλές ώρες με τους πρόσφυγες της νησίδας στον #Εβρο στο ΚΥΤ του Φυλακίου. Από όπου το σημερινό ρεπορτάζ μας. Στο κυρίαρχο κλίμα τοξικότητας, πόλωσης & εχθροπάθειας θα πω τα εξής, για όποιον έχει διάθεση να ακούσει 1/12
spiegel.de/ausland/griech… 2/ Στο ΚΥΤ βρέθηκα ως μέρος της αποστολής των οργανώσεων που έχουν αναλάβει τη νομική εκπροσώπηση των προσφύγων @GCRefugees & @rights360. Είναι όλοι καλά στην υγεία τους. Αλλά & βαθιά τραυματισμένοι ψυχικά. Κυρίως φυσικά οι γονείς της 5χρονης Μαρίας, που θρηνούν την κόρη τους.
Aug 14, 2022 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
A note about #εβρος. For almost a month now we have been following, researching and documenting the case of the 40 refugees on the islet at the Greek-Turkish land border 1/8
spiegel.de/ausland/geflue… 2/8 We have collected mountains of evidence of their presence and plight, including photos with verified metadata...
Aug 14, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
@hellenicpolice issued a statement that they have attempted from day 1 to spot the 40 Syrians on the #Evros islet but no human presence was ever detected.

I can confirm this has been the official line - both orally and in police reports I have seen 1/
kathimerini.gr/society/561999… 2/ That's ofc odd, given the vast amounts of proof of the group's presence on the islet, incl. metadata, live locations, Greek witnesses' recordings of the refugees' screams, videos showing Greek security officers and a live TV broadcast by @lindseyhilsum. This is all public.
Aug 14, 2022 • 10 tweets • 3 min read
An update on the case of the Syrian refugees trapped on the #Evros islet, based on all the information available to me at this moment🧵1/9 2/9 Three high-ranking GR officials w/ direct knowledge have confirmed to me the coordinates in the Interim Measures by the @ECHR_CEDH, mandating their rescue by Greece and non-removal from GR territory, lie within Turkish territory.
Aug 12, 2022 • 4 tweets • 4 min read
In this case:
➡️ A child is reported dead;
➡️ The refugees are Syrians (i.e. more "acceptable") & include women & children
➡️ There's non-stop coverage by Greek (@EFSYNTAKTON) & international media (@derspiegel @AJEnglish @Channel4) i.a.
➡️ There's a rescue order by @ECHR_CEDH 1/ 2/ ➡️ Reputable Greek and international NGOs (@GCRefugees @rights360 @Border_Violence @mobileinfoteam ) and their tireless lawyers and advocacy workers are working non-stop to try to find a way to rescue the people
➡️ Major organisations such as @amnesty have intervened
Aug 9, 2022 • 5 tweets • 4 min read
SOS in Evros - A small girl of 5 reported dead, another in critical condition. They are with a group of refugees stranded on Evros islet for days
Many of them have been pushed back & forth multiple times
112 & @hellenicpolice are informed.
Location: goo.gl/maps/NoPkodcDC… 1/ 2/ Many of the refugees have been pushed back and forward by Greek and Turkish authorities multiple times since mid-July. They were with this group:
Aug 8, 2022 • 5 tweets • 1 min read
In televised address, 🇬🇷 PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis addressed wiretapping affair rocking Greek politics: although legal, the surveillance of PASOK leader was “a mistake” that he did not know about. “I would never have authorised it” 1/ Image 2/ "Although everything was done legally the National Intelligence Service underestimated the political dimension [of the surveillance]...it was formally appropriate, but politically unacceptable. It should not have happened, causing cracks in public confidence" [in EYP], he said
Jul 28, 2022 • 24 tweets • 9 min read
❗EXCLUSIVE: We got our hands on the secretive 129 p. OLAF investigation into @Frontex. It proves the Greek Coast Guard systematically commits pushbacks that FX knew all about - but covered it all up, as @derspiegel and partners have long reported spiegel.de/ausland/fronte… 1/20 2/ Instead of preventing the pushbacks, Leggeri and his people covered for Greece, blatantly lied to the EU Parliament, and concealed the fact that the agency is financing pushbacks with European tax payer money.
Jul 25, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
! SOS The refugees on the islet started screaming for help at 14:00. Greeks on the river bank heard them and recorded their screams. We have audio, photos, videos & locations from them on Greek soil. Now refugees report police came to the river bank @hellenicpolice 1/4 2/4 This is the group of the c. 50 Syrians stranded there for more than a week. The metadata of the photo shows they are on Greek soil. ImageImage
Jul 3, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Despite what most commentators & what passes for intelligent public discourse in 🇬🇷 would have us believe, a full 65,4% of Greeks disagree or rather disagree that life-risking pushbacks should be used to prevent the entry of migrants & refugees in the country 1/ 2/ One could focus instead on the c. 30% of respondents who are Ok with putting lives at risk to prevent irregular migration. But a fairly large % of [use your preferred adjective] people is to be expected (eg. 16% of respondents say a junta could be preferable to democracy)...
Jun 28, 2022 • 14 tweets • 8 min read
3/ Confidential police sources and documents, as well as OSINT analysis allowed us to confirm the use of "slaves" -police call them & other migrants "beers"- in at least three border police stations in the Evros area: Tychero, Neo Cheimonio and Isaakio. 4/ Reporters also visited border towns and villages. "Migrants are not seen on this stretch of the Evros", said a local resident"; "Except for those who work for the police." One local shopkeeper said "police helpers" often come to his shop for supplies.
Jun 28, 2022 • 13 tweets • 8 min read
! Exclusive: Greek police are using migrant slaves to conduct illegal pushbacks of other asylum seekers over Evros to Turkey, in exchange for temp papers. Our months-long investigation reveals the ugly details of a horrendous system 1/
spiegel.de/ausland/pushba… 2/ Rumours of the practice abounded. But for the 1st time our joint investigation by @derspiegel @LHreports @ard @guardian & @lemondefr has located in Europe 6 migrants, x police helpers, describing their "work" in detail and providing us w/ visual & other evidence we verified. Image
Jun 11, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Το κύριο πρόβλημα των άρθρων στην Ελλάδα, όπως αυτό του @ManosVoularinos στην @AthensVoice για τις επαναπροωθήσεις μεταναστών, δεν είναι η θέση που εκφράζουν (θεμιτή όποια κι αν είναι), αλλά η οκνηρία των συντακτών και τα χαμηλά editorial standards προ της δημοσίευσής τους 1/ 2/ Δεν εξηγείται αλλιώς πώς μπορεί να αγνοεί, π.χ., ο συντάκτης του άρθρου, πως δεν υπάρχει μείζων διεθνής οργανισμός ή έγκυρο διεθνές μέσο ενημέρωσης όλων των ιδεολογικών υποχρεώσεων, από τη WSJ μέχρι τη Libe, που να μην έχει παρουσιάσει ακλόνητα τεκμήρια επαναπροωθήσεων.
Jun 9, 2022 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
❗The annual report of the Greek Ombudsman is the most astonishing takedown of the charade known as "Greek authorities always investigate pushback allegations". Until 2019 Police simply dismissed all reports "without any investigation" (!) Have things improve since? Hardly...1/5 Image 2/5 The Ombudsman discovered numerous problems in all cases, that render such "investigations" little more than glorified coverups. Authorities regularly fail to interview pushback survivors themselves, thereby “undermining the efficiency" and "reliability of the investigations”
May 31, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
In Greece’s version of the Upside Down (aka Evros), the people in the photo are migrants stuck on an islet of the river Evros. Some were also part of the group of 94 Syrians who had spent 5 (!) days last week on another islet, before mysteriously ending back in Turkey 1/6 2/6 Like that first group, they are waiting for Greek authorities to rescue them and register their asylum claims. Like the 1st group, they too are so far proving elusive for policemen, drones & cameras. They have little water and food and say among them are people who are sick.
Apr 10, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
German hesitance in Ukraine war is angering allies. Berlin is seen blocking more proactive steps. In Athens many recall the dictum of an erstwhile Foreign Minister, who had called Germany a giant with the mind of a child. From this week's @derspiegel 1/ spiegel.de/international/… 2/ In Greece the main criticism against Germany is that for too long it prioritised economic and business interests. “The verdict on Merkel's legacy will change after Ukraine - for the worse”, a government official said.
Apr 9, 2022 • 4 tweets • 2 min read
Greece @PrimeministerGR in discussion at @delphi_forum : „We need to break link btw gas and electricity prices“ otherwise we will „allow forces of populism“ to gain power in Europe 1/ tbc 2/ the room Mr Mitsotakis is speaking is packed, spotted numerous ministers, MPs, EU commissioners, ambassadors, politicians, business people and of course reporters. Power is the ultimate gravitational force
Apr 8, 2022 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
Very interesting session with ⁦@Frontex⁩ chief F. Leggeri and Greece Migration Minister ⁦@nmitarakis⁩ at ⁦@delphi_forum⁩ just ended. „Frontex is a Security force not a welcoming committee“ the latter said. Will eventually add more main points, stay tuned 1/ Image 2/ „In Europe there’s a big ideological debate, between reason and the European left“ Mr Mitarachi said
Mar 1, 2022 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
! Scoop: EU anti-fraud watchdog OLAF probe into @Frontex is damning for the agency's leadership, who are described in a 200+ page report as knowing and covering up illegal pushbacks in the Aegean, as first uncovered by @derspiegel in October 2020 🧵 spiegel.de/ausland/eu-ant… 2/ The report is so sensitive that only Frontex Management Board members have been given access to it so far. But OLAF did present the gist of it to representatives of the Frontex Board and, separately, to a committee of EU parliamentarians in the presence of the Frontex chief.
Feb 28, 2022 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
Some Greek context on our piece Re how Russian's Ukraine invasion could change EU refugee policy. Athens asked for mandatory relocations yday acc to top official. A major objective of GR stymied by MS now on receiving end. "We will of course take our share" official told me 1/7 2/7 Another, less known demand: GR wants the right of refugees to freely choose where to live in the EU. As one Greek official recently put it to me “No internal borders should exist for recognized refugees. If someone gets asylum in Texas, they can move and live in Vermont...