Six months later, justice has not been served in the Pylos shipwreck case

2023-12-14 01:01:00
Image of the ship before sinking/ Photo by Greek Coast Guard/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesAuthorities must learn the lesson to avoid future deaths at sea

There has been little substantive progress in the official investigation into credible allegations that the actions and inactions of the Greek coast guard contributed to the shipwreck and deaths that occurred six months ago off the coast of Pylos, Greece.

The full version of what happened is essential to guarantee truth and justice for survivors and victims’ families, and to help prevent future deaths.

The authorities must ensure that allegations against coast guard officers and other Greek officials are thoroughly investigated and prosecute those against whom there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

(Athens, December 14, 2023) – There has been little substantial progress in the official investigation into credible allegations that The actions and inactions of the Greek coast guard contributed to the catastrophic shipwreck and deaths that occurred six months ago off the coast of Pylos, Greece.

He Adrianaa fishing trawler, capsized in the early morning hours of June 14, 2023. More than 600 people died. The boat had left Libya five days earlier with some 750 migrants and asylum seekers on board – including boys and girls –, mostly from Syria, Pakistan and Egypt. Only 104 people survived. 82 bodies were recovered.

“The shipwreck of Pylos seems another tragic example of the abandonment by the Greek authorities of their responsibility to save lives at sea“said Judith Sunderland, associate director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch. “The full version of what happened is essential to guarantee truth and justice for survivors and victims’ families, and to help prevent future deaths.”

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch interviewed 21 survivors of the shipwreck, 5 relatives of people still missing, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, the UN, international agencies and organizations, as well as the Greek coast guard and police..

They discovered that, In the 15 hours between receiving the first alert that the Adriana was in its search and rescue zone until the vessel capsized, the Greek authorities did not mobilize adequate resources for the rescue. The authorities were fully aware of the danger indicators, such as the overcrowding and lack of food and water on board the Adriana and, according to the survivors, They knew that there were bodies on board and that rescue had been requested. Furthermore, in their testimonies, the people who survived also cast doubt on the authorities’ claim that those on board the Adriana did not want to be rescued, something that, in any case, would not have exempted the Greek coast guard from its obligation. to take all necessary measures to guarantee safety at sea. The survivors agreed in stating that They had repeatedly begged to be rescued, even to the coast guard itself.

They also said that a coast guard patrol boat had tied a rope to the Adriana and, while towing it, had caused it to capsize. Furthermore, they stated that, after the shipwreck, the patrol boat began rescue operations slowly, failed to maximize the number of people rescued, and carried out dangerous maneuvers.

Unrelated investigations by the independent group Solomon, the interdisciplinary research platform Forensis, Lighthouse Reports, and the newspapers The New York Times, Der Spiegel, El País, and The Washington Post are among those that documented similar accusations.

The nature of the judicial investigations being carried out in Greece raises doubts about the prospects for accountability for the shipwreck, the organizations say. Nine survivors, currently detained, face serious charges before the criminal court of Kalamata (Greece), including causing the shipwreck. At the same time, the Naval Court opened an investigation in June into the possible responsibility of the coast guard and, in September, 40 survivors filed a complaint with the same court alleging that the Greek authorities were responsible for the shipwreck. It is not clear how the other court’s decision might affect one court.

The testimony of the survivors points to possible serious procedural deficiencies that could affect both investigations, for example the confiscation of their mobile phones, some of which could contain key evidence of the events. Until the end of September, the prosecutor of the Naval Court did not request the telephone numbers of Greek coast guard officials, which could also contain evidence, and at the beginning of December only 13 survivors had been summoned to testify.

In November, the Greek Ombudsman opened an investigation into the actions of the coast guard, citing its refusal to carry out an internal disciplinary investigation. The European Ombudsman has opened an investigation into the role of Frontex (the European Border Agency), whose plane initially sighted the vessel, and the Agency’s head of fundamental rights is conducting his own investigation. In their contributions to the European Ombudsman’s investigation, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch maintain that Frontex should have continued monitoring the Adriana and launched a distress call. Frontex told the organizations that the coordination of search and rescue operations is the responsibility of national authorities, and that it did not make a distress call because it did not consider that there was an “imminent danger to human life.”

The Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy responded to the organizations’ letters stating that the protection of human life at sea constitutes “its highest professional and moral obligation,” and that the coast guard and the Rescue Coordination Center Piraeus Complex comply with the legal and operational frameworks in force in search and rescue operations. However, citing ongoing judicial and non-judicial investigations, the coast guard declined to respond to the organizations’ questions and comment on its findings.

Greece’s historic failures in investigations into shipwrecks involving people on the move, and widespread impunity for systemic human rights violations committed at its borders, raise questions about the robustness of the judicial investigations being carried out about the Pylos tragedy, say Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. In 2022, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Greece for deficiencies in its rescue attempts and subsequent investigations into the shipwreck off the coast of Farmakonisi island in 2014, where 11 people died.

“Almost 10 years after the deadly shipwreck off the coast of Farmakonisi, the response of the Greek authorities to the Pylos tragedy is crucial proof of their willingness to investigate human rights violations against racialized people moving along the country’s borders.” , said Adriana Tidona, migration researcher at Amnesty International. “Greece must ensure that the survivors and families of the hundreds of fatalities participate safely and effectively in the proceedings to the extent possible, as well as ensure that investigations are carried out in a timely manner, ensuring completeness and integrity of the admitted evidence.”