A group of 40 survivors of a boat accident involving migrants in Greek waters has filed a criminal complaint against all parties they consider accountable for the tragedy, according to a statement from the survivors’ representatives. The survivors are clamoring for an in-depth investigation into the reasons behind the sinking and the response from the authorities.
The vessel, off the coast of the Greek city of Pylos, catastrophically sank in June, causing the death of at least 82 individuals. Discrepancies have emerged between the narratives provided by official authorities and those of the survivors. The coast guard claimed that the vessel rejected assistance. However, survivors conveyed the contrary in discussions with human rights organizations. According to their representatives, none of the survivors have been summoned by authorities to give testimony for the past three months.
Various human rights organizations representing the victims, including the Refugee Support Aegean, the Greek Council for Refugees, and the Hellenic League for Human Rights, have denounced the Greek authorities’ failure to fulfill their responsibilities in safeguarding human lives. They emphasized that this shipwreck ranks among the deadliest incidents in the Mediterranean in recent years.
The complainants argue that the Greek authorities did not respond promptly or ensure the rescue of all survivors. They claim that Greek authorities were notified from the outset about overcrowding on the fishing boat, which was already dealing with separate problems aside from overcrowding. Furthermore, they point out that authorities chose to tow the vessel, leading to its sinking, rather than rescuing survivors upon reaching it.
Several organizations, including the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, the LIBE Committee of the European Parliament, and Human Rights Watch, have called for an impartial and thorough examination of the shipwreck’s circumstances.
In a prior case from 2014, the European Court of Human Rights addressed a similar maritime catastrophe near the Greek coast. In that case, following the sinking of a vessel near Farmakonisi, the court criticised Greece for its lack of effort in rescuing those drowning.