Two renowned human rights organisations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have demanded a comprehensive independent investigation into what transpired when a migrant vessel tragically sank off the coast of Pylos, Greece. The incident has led to at least 82 persons being declared dead, with the accounts of events provided by different parties being starkly divergent.
The Greek coast guard maintains that the boat declined all assistance from its own ships as well as merchant vessels. They claim the individuals aboard the vessel expressed a strong desire to continue to Italy. In stark contrast, survivors’ accounts reported to these two organisations contradict this narrative by suggesting that the coast guard towed the boat, leading to its fatal sinking.
These contradicting narratives have spurred Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to demand a thorough investigation and accountability. A separate investigation conducted by Forensic Architecture, a research agency focused on human rights violations, holds the Greek coast guard potentially liable for the incident.
The Greek authorities have begun a criminal investigation into the coast guard’s conduct regarding this incident. Amnesty International has emphasised the need for this investigation to adhere strictly to international human rights standards of impartiality, independence, and effectiveness, suggesting that the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office should oversee the investigation to secure its credibility.
In addition to the national investigation, the EU Ombudsman has initiated an independent investigation into the roles and actions of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, pertaining to the Pylos shipwreck.
Amnesty International has highlighted that this incident is just another episode in an “unconscionably long list of tragedies in the Mediterranean,” and has called for a reorientation of border policies to prioritize safe and legal routes for refugees and asylum seekers. The European Court of Human Rights has previously criticised Greece’s failures in rescue operations involving migrants, and the investigations following the Farmakonisi shipwreck in 2014.
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