The UN slams the discovery of 92 naked migrants at Turkey-Greece border

The United Nations condemned the “cruel” treatment of the 92 migrants that were found naked at the Greece-Turkey border on the weekend.  

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) told BBC that it is "deeply distressed by the shocking reports and images," calling for an investigation over the incident.

"We condemn any cruel and degrading treatment and call for a full investigation," it said. 

Greek authorities on Saturday said 92 naked migrants were found along the border with Turkey, forced out by Turkish authorities into Greek territory on boats via the river of Evros (Meric), some of them with injuries.

Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Notis Mitarachi who posted a photo of the migrants on social media on the same day, said that “Turkey's behavior towards 92 migrants whom we rescued at the border today, is a shame for civilisation.”

While Mitarachi urged Ankara to investigate the incident and protect its borders with the EU, Turkey denied the claims, blaming Athens for the plight of the 92 migrants.

Turkish Deputy Interior Minister Ismail Catakli replied Mitarachi via Twitter by saying that the “cruelty” shown in the photo was inflicted by Greece.

"As you couldn’t find one single case of human rights violation by Turkey, you just seek to expose image of your cruelty you’ve inflicted as if Turkey's done! Spend your time to obey human rights, not for manipulations and dishonesty. C’mon, it’s not a big deal; just be little bit civilised," he said.

Greece and Turkey are embroiled in disputes over a string of issues, including migration. Ankara frequently accuses Greece of violent and unlawful migrant pushbacks, describing the act as a crime against humanity. Athens on the other hand, blames Ankara of deliberately encouraging migrants to cross border, despite being obliged to stop them entering Greece, under a 2016 deal signed with the European Union. 

The UNHCR told BBC that it had not been able to speak directly to the migrants found naked at the Greek-Turkey border yet.