In her letter (pdf), the Commissioner also calls for the authorities to ensure that NGOs can carry out their activities independently and without persecution by the state.
In its response (pdf), the Greek government – predictably – denies any involvement in pushbacks, instead pointing to attempts by smugglers to “harm and demoralise” the Greek border authorities, and rebuffs the Commissioner’s other claims.
Last year, the Greek authorities rejected similar complaints from the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee.