Greece expels second batch of refugees to Turkey

Greece has expelled a second group of refugees from its Lesbos island to Turkey as part of the controversial EU-Turkey refugee deal.

According to the reports, a Turkish ferry departed from Lesbos on Friday with 45 refugees, who were all reportedly from Pakistan. It was the second batch of refugees deported under the deal.

A group of activists gathered at the port in protest at returning refugees to Turkey, shouting, “Freedom for the refugees,” “Stop deportations” and “EU shame on you.”

Three of the protesters were arrested after they tried to cling onto the ferry’s anchor to stop it from departing.

Some 80 other refugees will leave Lesbos later on Friday. Greek officials said those returned have not requested asylum in Greece.

Some 202 refugees were expelled from Lesbos and Chios islands to Turkey’s coastal town of Dikili on Monday. Greece will now delay the expulsion for two weeks to allow officials in Turkey to examine the asylum demands.

Under the EU-Turkey agreement, Ankara agreed to take back all the asylum seekers and refugees -- including the Syrians - who had used its territory to illegally reach Greece in return for a number of commitments from the EU.

SS