Two years ago, hundreds of people died in the deadliest shipwreck in the Mediterranean in recent years. Last month, 23 May, the Prosecutor of the Naval Court decided to press charges against 17 members of the Hellenic Coast Guard, including senior officers of its leadership.
Charges include causing a shipwreck, dangerous interference of maritime transport by disrupting the safe navigation of vessels, exposing others to danger, despite their legal obligation to rescue them, thereby leaving them in a helpless state resulting in death.
The developments in the criminal procedure constitute a first, essential step on the path towards justice and accountability for the victims and survivors.
What happened?
600 people died when their boat sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece on 14 June 2023. There were approximately 750 people, reportedly including 100 children, on board the Adriana fishing boat that departed Libya attempting to reach Italy. It capsized in the Ionian Sea, 87 km from the Greek coast of Pylos.
The tragic loss of 600 lives sparked solidarity demonstrations (in Athens and Thessaloniki, 5,000 people took to the streets) and international inquiries.
Unanswered calls for rescue
The deadly incident took place in international waters, inside the Greek Search and Rescue (SAR) zone, meaning the Greek state was responsible for initiating the necessary search and rescue operation. According to the Greek Council for Refugees, Alarm Phone2 and Frontex separately alerted the Greek Coast Guard, but they did not attempt a rescue operation.
During her term as European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, concluded her investigation into the tragedy asking:
“Six hundred people drowning but no mayday call. Is this how Europe deters migrants?”
— Emily O’Reilly, During her term as European Ombudsman
This Refugee Day, we say no – the European Union cannot deter people from coming here by ignoring their calls to be saved from drowning and by allowing hundreds of people to drown in our seas.
A step towards justice
In late 2023, 40 survivors of the deadly shipwreck, represented by GCR and other organisations, filed a criminal complaint against all responsible authorities. The survivors argued that not only did the Greek authorities fail to attempt a rescue once the vessel was located, but they also towed the vessel resulting in its capsizing and sinking.
Lawyers for the survivors and for the families of the people who died worked to achieve an independent investigation.
We need to make sure there are no more tragedies, no more people left to die at our shared European borders.
“Six hundred people drowning but no mayday call. Is this how Europe deters migrants?”
