nationality was something else, so they also did express the consent, says bollocks levine and to levine. and with that, you're all up to date. we have a documentary now working on the e u. border agency front techs and whether it can clean up it's after reports of human rights violations. searching for that, and we'll have more of the top of the next hour. can you see what old cars tires have to do with the production? here's a hands on business. so really indeed, the snow on youtube, the

february 19th 2024 on the mediterranean sea between turkey and greece and inflatable boat carrying migrants is confronted by the greek coast guard and forced to turn back grab his stick, crab, his dick the in the background. a boat that's been deployed by the use border protection agency front techs these kinds of encounters shouldn't be happening anymore. the use external borders are patrolled from here. our reporters are at front techs in warsaw. the border protection agency has been flags by negative headlines for years from tex must defend itself against serious allegations on tax

officials have been hiding insights on human rights. violations from texas. also accused of taking part in the legal push backs of refugees on the exterior borders on it to have the former director has now become a far right member of the parliament. and from texas, new boss says he wants to change things for the better. so i'm responsible for the fact that my people don't participate in anything called ken front tech, successfully re brand itself to, to do anything concrete thing. since you took office to prevent this from happening, you can tell them stop this. a briefing in the operations center information on the use, our borders is collected here in warsaw. soon a front tech's aircraft will take off from the italian island of land producer to patrol the mediterranean and transmit live footage. back to base. on the left is

alessandro zakiria, the team leader. he served in the italian police for around 30 years. whether it is good, so we are expecting many side of things and we have a already for events ongoing which we detecting on the previous slide. and we were to go on that target to updates to make an update and assess the situation, but event and target, you mean refugee boats? are you looking for migrant boat system? after about 10 minutes on the pilots bought a boat in the water around 60 passengers are on board. you did you want you guys the lessons?

they're making assessments on the people on board for you and see if it's screwed or not. we track if the both these are the rates the easy if it's the same, we check a also if they have a great length of life list, some information on like uh about the people on board of course. and now he's asking if the some of the possible both in the vicinity in order to get closer and save them in this case, what makes you decide that they have to be saved. and then you could just say ok with that every, every, both of them by then needs to be saved because they are usually a saying with, you know, this both are not so sure. not so safe. you can see the solar crowded and it's very low on, on bow. what there is very close to the so obviously they need to be safe.

but it's not that simple. national authorities located in their respective countries are the ones who ultimately decide what happens to a boat that gets blocked. do you kind of decide what to do? so if the microns should be saved or brought back to another country or whatever? no, no, no, no, it's not our decision. okay, so this is, this saturday is provided to the member states. so what do we are doing here in these room? when it comes to an survey, you know, secondary, this is done up on request over the member states, but we are not being charge of classifying events or of their response. so front text is something like a service provider for the e u member states. let's take a brief look at its history. and 2004 front text was founded as a small e u agency,

with a few staff and a modest budget. it was originally intended to support the border patrols of member states with its expertise. then came 2015, the you received 1300000 applications for asylum, nearly all of them through unofficial channels. since then, there's only one thing european policy makers have been able to agree on. regarding migration is from tech support to be strengthened with even more fun tech support. and also that's why it's important to strengthen from text, to expand from text even more from 6 is the instrument from, from tex, with help from, from tex, policy makers want it to look tough on border protection, pouring more and more money into the agency over the years since it's establishment, the annual front ex budget has increased from 6000000 euros to more than 900000000 . images of another boat arrive at the operation center in warsaw. most of these migrants arrived to the you via the route across the central mediterranean,

by way of north africa, heading for italy in 2023 alone front ex, recorded more than 150000 unauthorized entries by this root. can we have a picture? picture we're trying to to understand if it's a new one, it's one of the both we already detected in the morning compare. we need to compare, but sometimes it's not easy with. it looks the same that we use a fixture of drops already detecting the morning. 1445, so we're going to do an update to the siding that we already made this morning. best maritime refugee route to europe is known as one of the deadliest in the world . according to the un refugee agency, more than 4000 people either died or went missing, attempting the journey and 2023. in the last decade,

around 29000 people have died or disappeared. if you witnessed tragedies, famous, unfortunately, we have to deal with this kind of situation. it's not always easy because sometimes you see also kids on the boards and it's not easy to lift them in the center of the see i'm just go home and do like everything is it's okay. you're always thinking about that and maybe the, the off, the, when you come at work are you, the 1st thing you do is checking well, what is the situation with the, with the both that you left to the day before and have you witnessed

like a drowning uh yeah, it happened, it happened obviously it's not easy about the you have to focus. so to what you can do. no thoughts on what you cannot to do. and if i can save 10 lives, i need to work on that day, the plane spent around 3 and a half hours in the air. alessandro asks about the 1st boat, the one that the pilot sighted shortly after the patrol began. do we have any information about it? no, not yet. okay. yeah, so we don't have any, just the magenta information. yes. please information. let's use the form. uh, sorry about that to you. one. right. all right. it has been risk it from uh, i told him uh, cause ago. so this is the process to the time for yes.

and now we can see this event closed because they have been rescued. from tex is facing a major challenge. on the one hand, it's supposed to prevent unregulated migration, well rescuing and safeguarding the basic rights of people in distress, etc. but the number of unregulated entries is still high and people's basic rights hasn't always been upheld serious allegations as misconduct by the agency. do you have a pen? can you board and protection agency front checks is working more closely with sketchy libyan coast guard officials than previously known. this is the police of gold coast banks are legal or but according to an international research study and you go to agency or from tech support, he's also involved tape or at least aware of comes to something. sonya

in recent years there has been multiple reports of front x being involved in human rights violations. usually nobody at the agency would talk about how front x covered up their involvement. but we found someone who will i'm going to have some things. yeah. thank you. rear admiral kenneth. nina says he spent nearly 40 years in the swedish coast guard. he was also one of the officers responsible for sweden's international missions. for several years. on several occasions, he even commanded swedish cruise operating on behalf of front techs to patrol the external e u border around greece. that was the case in 2020. so i was sleeping in the pitiless back in my hotel. and in the, the, quite early in the morning things around the 5 o'clock, my phone rang,

and the captain from the swedish of patrolling boat called me and said that they were an incident with the migrants. the crew he led, found a boat, etc. they took this photograph, according to a front ex investigative report, the boat was in greek territory, and therefore inside the, the front x crew contacted the great coast guard which arrived on the scene. the greek says they, we needed the for the north. and that we should go there as fast as possible. so the greeks sent front tex away a short time later, the front tech's crews seized on their instruments that the greek vessel and the migrants boat are moving towards turkish waters. later in a front ex, internal investigation,

the greek coast guard claimed that the migrants evaded police efforts and steered into turkish waters on their own. but rear admiral nina's doesn't believe that. he says what he saw broke the law. the problem is it's a, it's not according to the human rights. uh, you should be able to have your case tested if you come to your p and country and it's all in this different operational paths. how we should act and what should happen. and we can't, we can't do this actually, according to the lowest and regulations. that is stated. the people in distress said, see, must be rescued and sending back anyone already and e. u territory, before they can claim asylum is almost always a legal. this is known as the full and it's a direct violation of the geneva refugee convention of 1951,

a regulation established after world war 2. around 900 jewish refugees fled nazi germany. a board, a ship called the st. louis, but many countries refused to take them. they were forced to return to europe. many of them were killed in the whole the cost the this principle is enshrined in international law with very few exceptions. one being when a border is breached by force, otherwise, refugees have a right to have their asylum claims reviewed. so, from the captain and the crew, they weren't quite upset over this because they saw what happened. and it was quite far in the greek territory. and so and, and the other s classic push back to, we could say any legal pushback would qualify as well for my name as wanted to

report the incident he went through superiors that front tech's an a, a immediately reactive, very negative to this information and started to say that it could be a problem for me if i did this and i said ok, what kind of problem are we talking about? and then instead of kind of this will have some consequences for you. if you do this immediately off to this, the, the boat that's we didn't have we 2 crews. they were sent to the other side of the keels and then 2 petrol as most the night times. and it's much how the wind and waves on the other side, and absolutely no migrants. i think we all felt that it was a kind of a punishment according to an internal investigation front ex officials

later dispute at the report. the suppression for tenant notice the incident. as a matter of principle, all of this for life ought to be always decreasing. the safe depth see and we would never do that. we should be there and try to help out and make sure that we have a controlled immigration and make sure that people are safe in them. yes, i think you should always stand up for what you think is right. and then i feel like if i don't do that, how should i look myself in the middle of the next day? what name is described has been common practice that front text for years, an internal report by the use anti fraud office. all last was published in various media outlets. backing him up. officials at law say it's been proven that front tech's management committed, gross misconduct, and other irregularities. they also say that front x management obstructed its own

border guards from fulfilling their own responsibilities in particular to ensure their respect for fundamental rights as enshrined in the charter of human rights. the. we have an appointment with the main target of the heinous allegations. detailed in the report, the former head of front x i would say liberty has come with suitcases yet. it's the end of april and election campaigning has just begun. here he comes after the allegations that police may show, he resigned. now he's running for a seat in the you parliament for francis far right. national rally party for the hello. hello. did you have a good trip? yeah, yes. i had a good trip. we're in pub in your right. this is the 1st day of campaigning in the

region. ok. lisa oakley was born in alsace and grew up near the german border. the deputy mayor of pepin, you know, as picking him up. it's campaign time in the u. holes in many countries already show there's been a rise in support for the extreme right. especially in france and push through that . i'm really impressed that you can feel the momentum i believe differential ready. i've had one. i opened, it may be both size. now i'd say, all right, we're almost there. here in the south of france, the national riley already has the majority in many places in perry. now to surveys reveal that migration is one of the most important issues for many french voters. and it is the issue for the far right,

pretty much everywhere. so long, horrible part as long as europe has no barricades against millions of illegal migrants, germany must act on its own thoughts on that tundra, leaning close to a non regulated mass integrate sions worse and security, and our country would be okay. now that's why we reject mice emigration. maybe new legal math integration be you think there was a return ticket and mass deportations for all illegal immigrants. 11 meant the former front tech's boss introduces himself to the party base. he visits the mayor of pair being you who is also a member of the national riley, the mr leisure range on the face to me units missed it of us like, oh, thank you for the reception. welcome to pub in your my wife. hello. nice to meet you. other members of the national riley are here as well.

the welcome some even this is just your political role now allow you to share what you believe to be right. and what you couldn't say when you with the boss of from tex community or when your phone function. now, when i was an official, i had reservations and couldn't speak freely. i was ordered to enforce a political stance that was on rights to come with them on the mooney. well, i certainly try to change that may turn the agency into what it is. the rhetoric is supposed to be with that roles aboard and coast god outfits that supports e u. member states of concerning the quote, the vicar, when we saw him on the pool. i admit, that's why i voted from my left hand in the 2022 presidential elections week of the course. i didn't say that when i was director of from texas. i tell different things we had a longer conversation with leisure of

a. what did you say about you investigations alleging he concealed and collaborated with greek authorities to commit to human rights violations? the idea is how do you react to this accusation in civil it's 5000 sponsors. in february 2020 uh, recalls are j is officially informed me that greek national security was under threat. not so not as these guys piecing them. if you have it's wrong. and that's, that's why i cooperated closely with the grateful sandwiches, increases the horizon. and since i'm gonna get all i didn't do it, leisha lee is referring to one and then 2020 back then the turkish president opened the borders to greece, and thousands crossed over greece suspended new asylum applications for one month. and that's with an after 12. if that's, have been arranged in agreement which finish. okay, so it's being continued say,

forensics approved a new set together. okay. we'll send the people back. now, this is all the items that we didn't agree on. all the details at the home we agreed on the legal framework and uh, the, the highest, the document interception was possible. move please visit with these 2 options along a little bit. there's an incentive, i'll send back and divide the rest the order or into set them a note to find the people on the boat. you're not allowed to enter it and they sign the highest lease. uh, he said that as front ex boss, he and the greek officials agreed to send migrants back, which denied them the opportunity to submit an asylum claim as a result, right on the open sea, the e o investigation indicates that the month long state of emergency in february 2020 wasn't the only time this happened. by the way, it's incomplete file. that's the, let's look at this specific case now, which we've seen time and it can increase the boats of discovered and they, well,

there are various reports of how these are legal push back to these people are being driven back. that's what happened. so then, well that's more like taking the lower into your own that and try to get it over to the vin. yeah. so i can get effects and these appears on them. so if we rescuing these people, that means we're bringing them back to work as a detailed and the light and then it will patient. maybe they'll stay in a european reception center in north africa live wouldn't dock. we don't have that cases reviewed in system building the able visa. let's say the member states of the you will assess mindset whether these people really need protection. anderson. this is what's that they're interested during our conversation. so please place of the did not suggest the law should be broken. instead he proposed that asylum applications should be carried out at european conflicts abroad. that sounds good,

but for years it's been clear that implementation isn't realistic. in april 2024 to non governmental organizations filed criminal complaints against police. felicia the the n g o is accused him of abetting crimes against humanity on account of his involvement in pushing back asylum seekers. it's not clear if the case will go to trial. according to the you anti fraud agency investigations have not led to any professional or criminal consequences. so far campaigning and basie are representatives from the national riley together with police. officials are holding a meeting during all these appearances, police leisure se accounts in a legend meeting with a commissioner ilia johansson in which he informed her of delays in arming from tex . did my renewal for his on 5th punchy interrupted man, said to me that don't, don't worry. it doesn't matter if they're late to provide weapons and uniforms.

doke for it. so it's all right. you don't need them. hopefully the new york city is like, are you to say if it's good enough to do, your job is to collect the migrants and welcome terminal. europe is aging and we've got a plan to support the population. that is whether you like it or not, you've got to take them in, you don't need uniforms or firearms to do that because they coming out of law. we don't know if this conversation really happened. a spokeswoman for the commissioner said their policy is not to comment on these kinds of statements. here . liza drops the narrative of the great replacement theory, classified by german constitutional experts. as a far right conspiracy very, don't say could i have more input? it's clearly an immigration policy, meant to replace your opinions and their own territory, someone else doing well. and to create a major 1st plan for us enough time to replace our culture. is that the only 3 d

b less mislead? you know, i wanted to say that, but i didn't like the fact that i was from tex director at the time. and i told myself, you know, keep your mouth, johnson, because otherwise there will be trouble is if i said the narrative that white people are being deliberately replaced by migrants is being spread by the extreme right around the world. but when asked leesha, as he denies pandering to far right, ideology, ah, i don't kind of you to the 12 there are 7 weeks until the parliamentary elections because his policy line is front tech's director wasn't successful. he now intends to push through where for more, politically when to the current french director would consider that and then we go, pushed back. if someone applies for an asylum claim, and it's rejected, isn't that because a lot is this all kind of how i get this? put it, like i said, it's a question of political will. what additional the call certain aspects of the law

can emphasize base for political reasons between an it guy. but i think what's missing now is the political will at the e u level of the webinar. liza he is essentially saying that there should be less emphasis on human rights and the political will to make this change should begin at the e u level, which is what he is running for now. the finland is also taking a tougher approach here. the government wants to take things a step further. front tech's invited us to the finish russian border. finland is in spotlight because the country shares a border with russia that is more than 1300 kilometers long. in december 2023, russia deliberately brought asylum seekers to the border. some were on bicycles. moscow was putting pressure on the using migration as a weapon,

a practice referred to by the you as hybrid warfare. finland closed its borders. since then, crossing into the country here has been impossible. we are in the restricted area front, texas proud that it has deployed 50 troops to finland. and just to few days on the visiting front x deputy director says that having front x on the border also sends a clear message. is this a managed? could that be honest? it's important to me that we show a european boda and so it can be secured with european forces. i have some custom because they shop about russia is just a few meters away. since the fins closed the border, everything here has been quiet. as a result of this, i admit this a call that was the situation that the, since the foreclosure has been now in place, that the last since then we have not had such

a creation flow at all. but in the end, what does that mean for your pin law and for the right to asylum finish problem and has even passed the law that legalizes with a full month, even if someone requests asylum. the finish draft law openly states that this violates international law. the law and even its own constitution from texas image was in ruins after the laser he era the new director promised to respect basic rights as soon as he was appointed. so i'm responsible for the fact that my people don't participate in anything called a push back. but i think that that is absolutely care and he's made a big promise. front tax will no longer take part in push backs and front techs is going to change

the one year after this promise. the new boss reported success and says, i mean office obviously, you know, i repeat no reports on misbehavior from context office. he emphasized that since he's been in this role, there have been no reports of misconduct. but is that true? the norwegian and g o. a jan boat report, shared several videos taken in early 2024. the children exist activities. this was the loose hair gray head around

25 people. many of them women and children are sitting in a black inflatable boat. they've encountered other boats and are calling for help. please do you need your help? have the we wanted to know what exactly happened here and who operated the to ship that the refugees were asking for help. we analyzed the videos with help from experts, with the research agency for ends as we cross checked them with geographic and weather data. according to our research, the 1st incident took place on february 19th, 2024. the people in the boat sent the norwegian and g o their location using a what's up message from greek, territorial waters, parenthesis check this again by conducting a visual comparison of the mountain ranges in the video with the real landscape.

they were able to determine the location more precisely. everything indicated the boat was in greek waters. the people on board had a right to claim asylum according to a handbook in our possession front. ext officials are also required to proactively inform the asylum seekers of their rights. but it looks like the people here were probably towed back into turkish waters. we don't have any videos to prove this. nevertheless, the inflatable boat later showed up on the same day and video is made by the turkish coast guard, apparently, with the same people on board. for example, this child is wearing a distinctive hat on the dinghy. then with the turkish coast guard,

it's the same with this boy. first, he's on the migrant boat. then he's being rescued. this man contacted the norwegian angio from the vote. we called his cell phone number journalist from the air d t v studio, and it's time full. met him in an empty house. he is from afghanistan and is hiding with his wife and 3 children. the turkish authorities wanted to port him back to afghanistan. he doesn't want us to show his or his family spaces or to use his real name type similar, this k, it's initial uh, hold on. i gotta, i'm very afraid that i might be the only one day posted for a while. my family stays here for it. they're going to, going to now i won't survive in afghanistan because in dynamic, oh no. we speak with him, his cousin and his wife. all 3 say they were forced back into turkish waters on

that day in february 2024. which i've developed mental health problems because of all the difficulties when we fled by boat. isn't that a situation on the water was horrifying? i was so shocked the children cried so much the end of it was terrible. when asked, the greek government flatly denied carrying out illegal push backs. but there are numerous reports including from you in organizations indicating that greece has been carrying out violent push backs for years. and where did the 2 boats that initially intercepted them come from. on the larger boat, we see the number 5 to 4. parenthesis searched in greece and founded in march and a port in the last post boat, $5.00 to $4.00,

bearing the flag of the bulgarian coast guard, paid for by the e. u, and working for front techs. we also see a small inflatable boat on the ship. presumably the digging is also part of the bulgarian crew working for front techs the are so front techs was there, and front tech's didn't bring the migrants to safety despite their cries for help. according to our research front techs also failed to report the incident we wanted to know what the new boss had to say. he had promised a fresh start the ones that we showed hon. slaten videos of this case. and another incident from

january 25th 2024. the 2nd case also involves a full rubber boat on its way degrees. this time there is footage showing the legit pushed back the masked man chasing a boat full of migrants, threatening them with stick. grab, grab his stick. the boat is flying, the you flag, the characters o s 800 are visible and abbreviation for the greek coast guard. the parenthesis was also able to identify the ship in the background. it belongs to the lab fee and coast guard, and is on a mission for fred tex. this rubber boat was also later picked up in turkey and confirmed by local authorities. on sleigh tens told us from tex,

takes these cases very seriously. the agencies fund of mental rights commissioner has started an internal investigation. if front x was there, he said, that's a problem. if we are there, we are implicated or we are involved in a way even without doing something. because there's also a question, okay, good, we should be present that did for example. so we have for if we have a risk responsibility even if you're not the perpetrator. so it's either on the electric substrate ourselves. we haven't even the responsibility because again, we audio p and border and corporate agency. we uphold european values. we are pulled you up in law. i understand completely. i understand you that you want your offices to kind of step in if, if they see that the greeks are performing a fundamental rights violation, you want them to prevent that if possible. and again, let's be realistic. if you're 100 meters away. uh yeah, if you're coming to the means of communication, i want him to do something indeed,

not just sit back and relax because it's from another country to where things that's the new director says that he wants his people to intervene. but apparently they didn't with what is he doing about that? did you do anything concrete today since you took office to prevent this from happening? because it's, this is nothing on the case. of course, those reports all the time about greek and coast guard performing push breaks. and so the, did you kind of tell them stop this? no, no, but yeah, i told them, but the thing is preventing it. i cannot because that's not realistic. what i can do is to build a common understanding, but even more than that, i come in a shared value that we in europe have to uphold european values while it's protecting the borders it because it all stopped with protecting board us and we have a junk responsibility, that means that feedback from, from outside is, is important. we have to acknowledge that the,

come on the control is with the members. date. the member state is in charge of the operations and member states won't allow their sovereignty to be stripped so front . tx doesn't have that much power on the border. and in case of doubt, they can be sent away. can front text actually change how migrants are treated at the border? a case from the summer of 2023 shows just how powerless front x actually is. this footage arrived at the operation center from a front text aircraft. july 13th, 2023. 9 47 am. a friend tex aircraft is filming this ship in the greek rescue. so the boat is crowded with nearly $750.00 people on board. frontier has also been informed that there are dead children on the vessel. in hindsight, it's a clear emergency, but what confront tx,

do they fly over the ship and inform the greek coast guard? the an internal front tax report that we obtained shows from tex, offered greek authorities support several times, but they did not respond. instead, greek officials sent front techs away to handle another case. in the end, the boat sank, and at least $500.00 people died. the front x director told us the agency did not have any rescue workers on the water, and greece was in charge of the operation. now they're waiting for the results of the greek investigation. there are 2 trials underway in the maritime court in periods. but according to our research, there have never been consequences worked. pushed backs by the greek coast guard or police difference when will late and take action. we have has to assess

all these, let's say, contributions we deliver. and indeed, we have to delancy and balance this with alleged push backs. and at the end, i might arrive at the conclusion that there's not no longer incredible corporation possible and have not arrived at this point yet. but we have to assess is frequently and all the time. so what does that all mean? has front techs changed the 2 cases. we researched show the new front tech's director apparently can not keep his promise. push backs are still happening. and front tech's seems to be involved but our interview with him shows that he is also calling for a new approach. and that's not easy to do when front x is the service provider. well, countries like greece actually control the operations it's

the day of the european elections. we are the national riley party in paris. the party emerges with decisive victories. and for the police nation, as he becomes a member of the pearl limit, the former front techs official will now use his position in the parliament to put pressure on front tx of the who do you think uh, by the. so the politicians, because they've been elected and they must assign 20, just on the and i will pull them in. we will have many political allies in the european parliament that's. that's see, it looks like many governments in europe and want the same thing. the supplies what does that mean for the future upfront tx, the current leadership has promised to offer more protection for basic human rights

. but allowed far right movement in europe wants the opposite. these 2 visions will be difficult to reconcile the the electric power source, mama, free future list. what do you have? i mean, is investing heavily in the street thanks to generous subsidies. ritual drivers are transitioning can you would act with vehicles attracting women to the profession. but there is one crucial aspect that has not been put through the eco india in 30 minutes on the w being white wing,

it's not like an extraordinary thing is actually just being normal, especially to defend our already them to the. so the germany gets back on track. why dig down your opinions increasingly by to writing policy, research out across europe to find the focus on you remember, in 19 minutes d w, the risk, to make sure still commentary and smuggle the footage out of the country. the, they run inside to protest, the 2 other people slicing the,

raising the prize. and why are they willing to risk faces of anger? march 19th on the w, the is the state of leaders, life member land. you're being leaders gather, and russell's for an emergency summit. top of the agenda will be how the content and can build up its defense, as well as fledging, more practical support to ukraine. the countries president will be among those attendees also coming up to you as president donald trump meets freight is really hostages in the white house. as the issues of staunch warning to militant groups from us to free. the others fail, held in gossip plus an investigation begins out for a south korean.