Pylos shipwreck will "neither be forgotten nor forgiven," says joint statement
Topic
Country/Region
13 December 2024
"The state crime of Pylos will neither be forgotten nor forgiven." A statement to mark the death of more than 600 people in the 2023 Pylos shipwreck condemns the failure to bring prosecutions against those responsible. The statement, signed by more than 50 NGOs (including Statewatch), notes that "the perpetrators continue to carry out their duties with impunity, not only posing a constant threat to people on the move but also exemplifying the immunity they receive."
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Joint Statement for the State Crime of Pylos
56 NGOs: The state crime of Pylos will neither be forgotten nor forgiven.
One and a half year has passed since the state crime near Pylos was committed, which led to the death of more than 600 people migrating to Europe. Despite the irrefutable evidence and testimonies of shipwreck survivors, those responsible for this crime have not yet been brought before the judicial authorities. In fact, the perpetrators continue to carry out their duties with impunity, not only posing a constant threat to people on the move but also exemplifying the immunity they receive.
The Pylos state crime was not an isolated incident, nor was it the last. The shipwreck was the result of the intensifying systemic violence against people crossing into Greece and the EU. Their increasing dehumanisation has led to a horrifying situation. The EU’s policies of securitisation and militarisation of its borders and territories confront people on the move with even greater violence and constant violations of their rights. Pushback operations, arbitrary and prolonged imprisonment in detention centres in European border countries, and cooperation with authoritarian regimes in neighbouring countries have led to an unprecedented number of dead and missing persons.
A year and a half ago, on 14 June 2023, while the fishing trawler Adriana, with 750 people on board was reportedly in danger, the Greek authorities deliberately delayed any rescue operation: at first the authorities ignored distress calls, only monitoring the trawler; subsequently, authorities attempted to tow the Adriana away from the Greek Search and Rescue zone, causing its capsizing. In this cynical and ultimately deadly attempt, authorities tried to remove any possible eyewitnesses, not only by refusing the assistance offered by EU’s agency Frontex but also by turning away commercial vessels alongside. After the sinking of the Adriana, survivors reported unjustified delays in their rescue, with the result that only 104 people were saved. Instead of supporting them, the Greek authorities went as far as to charge the survivors with 'illegal entry' into the country. In an effort to deflect public outcry and international condemnation, authorities disavowed responsibility for the killing of more than 600 people, and charged 9 of the survivors, blaming them as “smugglers” and for causing the shipwreck. The 9 defendants-survivors of the shipwreck were eventually acquitted by the Greek courts in May 2024 but were denied their right to compensation for nearly a year’s time unjustly spent in prison.
Following the refusal of the Hellenic Coast Guard to initiate an internal disciplinary investigation into the acts of its line of command and officers, the Greek Ombudsman did so at its own motion for administrative acts and omissions. Following criminal complaints by the survivors, investigations into the causes of the state crime have been conducted for over a year by the preliminary investigation authorities of the Piraeus Naval Court in relation to criminal responsibilities. The preliminary investigation was only completed at the end of November, and it is now at the discretion of the Head of the Public Prosecutor's Office whether to file charges against those responsible.
Extensive and in-depth investigations by independent and international investigative media outlets have not only highlighted the criminal actions of the competent Greek authorities in managing the Adriana incident, but also the concerted effort to cover up the events and protect those responsible.
In addition, the treatment of most of the shipwreck survivors violates the Greek state’s responsibility under international law, including the responsibility to provide shipwreck survivors with psychosocial support. Not only were most of the survivors denied international protection; they are now also threatened with deportation. At the same time, many of the victims' families are still waiting for the bodies of their loved ones, which have not yet been repatriated.
Demanding justice for the state crime of Pylos is the least we owe to the memory of the victims of the shipwreck and their loved ones, as well as to those who survived the wreckage and have suffered unspeakable trauma. But it is also a crucial point in the struggle for the protection of migrant populations and their rights. At a time when European governments promote discrimination, racism, and exploitation, we join our voices in demanding a world of justice and solidarity.
The state crime of Pylos will neither be forgotten nor forgiven.
The signatory organisations demand:
- The thorough investigation of the causes of the ‘Pylos shipwreck’ and the prosecution of those truly responsible.
- The provision of needed psychosocial support and the granting of international protection to all survivors.
- An immediate end to the criminalisation of migration and the use of “facilitation” as a pretext for the systematic incarceration of people on the move.
- An immediate end to increasingly lethal border violence.
SIGNATORIES
#FreePylos9
Sea-Watch
CompassCollective
Watch The Med Alarm Phone
Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD), Turkey
Sea-Eye e.V.
Legal Centre Lesvos
r42-SailAndRescue
CPT - Aegean Migrant Solidarity
Feminist Autonomous Centre for research
FreeHomayoun
Legal Clinic Roma Tre
Gruppo Melltea
Seebrücke Schweiz
Human Rights Legal Project
iuventa-crew
Fenix - Humanitarian Legal Aid
Demokratische Jurist*innen Schweiz
HIAS Greece
borderline-europe Human Rights without Borders
SOS Humanity e.V.
refugees platform in egypt (RPE)
Nora organization for compacting violence against women's and girls
HuMENA for Human Rights and Civic Engagement
Maldusa
egyptian front for human rights
Forum Tunisien pour les Droits Economiques et Sociaux
National Representative Council of Eritrea-GIE
Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms
Libya Crimes Watch (LCW)
Sea Punks e.V.
North East Law Network
Independent Organization for Human Rights
REDWORD for Human Rights & Freedom of Expression
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
Statewatch
Human Rights Concern - Eritrea (HRCE)
jurists without boarders
libyan network for legal aid
Egyptian Human Rights Forum
Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms
Captain Support
El Hiblu3
Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN)
Media and Migration Association
Collective Aid
Seebrücke
RESQSHIP e.V.
Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche
Coordinadora de Barrios-Madrid, Spain
Law and democracy support foundation
MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Lgbtqia+ Refugees Welcome
Migreurop
CNCD-11.11.11
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Further reading
Greek border deaths: Frontex management board knew about "systematic" violations
An investigation by the BBC has put the Greek state’s deadly border policies back in the public eye – but there has so far been no mention in the press of Frontex’s operations in the country. Documents seen by Statewatch show that despite warnings from its own fundamental rights officials, Frontex’s senior staff and management board did nothing to halt the agency’s operations in Greece. Suspending or terminating operations is a legal obligation when rights violations “are of a serious nature or are likely to persist.” A case before the Court of Justice of the EU is seeking an order to halt Frontex’s Greek operations, with an appeal filed in January still pending.
From Cutro to Pylos: what two shipwrecks reveal about Europe’s deadly migration policies
The anniversary of the shipwreck in Crotone on 26 February was marked by relatives and supporters of at least 94 people who died on the morning of that same day in 2023. They gathered on the beach in Cutro, in the city of Milan, and elsewhere in Italy: the names of the dead were read at public events, and survivors gave their testimonies.Three months later, it will also be the first anniversary of the Pylos shipwreck, in which at least 500 people lost their lives, and similar events will mark that anniversary. [1]
Pylos shipwreck: European Council prepares to shed crocodile tears
The European Council meeting later this week will express "its profound sorrow for the terrible loss of life as a result of the recent tragedy in the Mediterranean," at the same time as reiterating, for the umpteenth time, its commitment to "breaking the business model of traffickers and smuggling networks and to tackling the root causes of irregular migration." As a recent Europol report highlights, this model is in large part a creation of the EU and its member states. Meanwhile, a letter from Ursula von der Leyen demonstrates how much work is going in to expanding control, and how little to increasing the possibility of legal migration.
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