The German Spiegel visited him Evros to speak with the family of the 5-year-old girl who died from a scorpion sting on August 9, when she was with other refugees trapped in a place in the area. The Journalists who made the report were Giorgos Christidis and Maximilian Pop. The girl along with other refugees were pushed back from the Greek side of the Evros, and there they complain that they were stranded on an island.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis questioned the name of the girl, speaking in the Greek Parliament, while the Minister of Immigration and Asylum Mr. Notis Mitarakis denied any responsibility for the death of the 5-year-old girl. But the details of the girl were already registered and indeed official.
In decongesting the tension, the minister Mr. Mitarakis proposed to exhume the child's body and bury it on Greek soil, which his parents now refuse, insisting that the child remain buried on the island where he died.
As the Spiegel reporters report:
"Already the existence of Mary, the name of Mary, the death of Mary is being questioned. I saw 2 parents with 4 other children at KYT. The parents spoke heartbreakingly of their daughter and the children of their sister. Unlike politicians or others, I will not question them. I also spoke to people who told me by name and stated in their affidavits to the prosecution that they themselves casually buried the little girl on the islet. The existence of Maria and her family was confirmed by other refugees I spoke with.
I will not return to this macabre and disgusting discussion. Let them do it if the government or whoever deems it appropriate. And let them be judged for it. After all, for the Greek authorities, the refugees initially did not even exist, they were creatures of the imagination of journalists and NGOs. Until - miraculously! - it turned out that either the authorities were lying when they declared for days that they could not find anyone in the area, refusing to help or even inform, or the much-advertised and very expensive means of surveillance of Evros are ultimately problematic. The evidence for the presence of refugees on the disputed islet and for their repatriation while they were on Greek soil in July is numerous and strong. And they will be presented on time, and not in the heat of the moment, with full and detailed documentation.
Regarding the role of Turkey: From the first moment we wrote that the refugees were forced by the Turkish authorities to cross into Greece. Anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey has flared up. Forced or "voluntary" deportations have peaked. This fact, if nothing else, should concern the government that baptized Turkey a safe country (and) for the Syrians. Instead, it prefers to continue the hybrid war rhetoric & attempt by all means to reduce flows to increase its rates.
This policy is legally & morally flawed. It is & ineffectual. Not only in the light of naive "entitled" or "useful idiots", as some patriots of the keyboard who are distinguished mainly for their ignorance, empathy and intellectual laziness like to write. It is ineffective even in the light of the "national threat". If I were Erdogan, I would be rubbing my hands that 40 refugees managed to turn the country upside down. Those in the know have explained to me how quickly, easily and humanely the issue could have been resolved in the first place. This policy also conflicts with tradition, the democratic nature of the country, the rule of law. Greece is bound by international conventions, European & national laws. Their compliance is not a la carte. Let everyone choose which Greece represents him".
