Joint Statement on the State Crime at Pylos

A year and a half has passed since the state crime near Pylos, Greece, led to the deaths of over 600 people migrating to Europe. Despite irrefutable evidence and survivor testimonies from the shipwreck, those responsible for this crime have yet to face judicial consequences. The perpetrators continue to operate with impunity, posing an ongoing threat to displaced individuals and exemplifying the immunity they enjoy.

The state crime at Pylos was neither an isolated incident nor the last. The shipwreck was a result of escalating systemic violence against people traversing Greece and the EU. Their increasing dehumanization has created a horrific situation. The EU’s policies of border militarization and securitization expose people on the move to greater violence and continual rights violations. Pushbacks, arbitrary and prolonged detentions in border detention centers, and cooperation with authoritarian regimes in neighboring countries have resulted in an unprecedented number of deaths and disappearances.

On June 14, 2023, as the Adriana trawler, carrying 750 people, was visibly in distress, Greek authorities deliberately delayed any rescue operation. Initially, authorities ignored distress calls and merely monitored the trawler. Later, they attempted to tow the Adriana out of the Greek search and rescue zone, causing it to capsize. In this cynical and ultimately fatal attempt, authorities sought to eliminate potential witnesses, not only refusing assistance from the European Frontex agency but also turning down help from nearby commercial vessels. After the Adriana sank, survivors reported unjustified delays in rescue operations, leading to only 104 people being saved. Instead of offering support, Greek authorities accused the survivors of “illegal entry” into the country. To avoid widespread outrage and international condemnation, the authorities blamed the deaths of over 600 people on the survivors, indicting nine of them as "smugglers" and holding them responsible for the shipwreck. In May 2024, Greek courts acquitted these nine survivors, but they were denied compensation after spending nearly a year unjustly imprisoned.

Following the Greek Coast Guard’s refusal to initiate an internal disciplinary investigation into the actions of its hierarchy and officers, the Greek Ombudsman launched an independent inquiry into administrative acts and omissions. Complaints filed by survivors triggered investigations into the causes of the state crime, which were conducted for over a year by the preliminary investigation authorities of the Piraeus Naval Court. This preliminary inquiry concluded in late November, leaving the decision to prosecute those responsible in the hands of the Chief Public Prosecutor.

In-depth investigations by independent and international media outlets have not only exposed the criminal conduct of Greek authorities in handling the Adriana shipwreck but also highlighted coordinated efforts to cover up the events and protect those responsible.

Furthermore, the treatment of most shipwreck survivors violates Greece’s state obligations under international law, including the responsibility to provide psychosocial support. Most survivors have been denied international protection and now face threats of deportation. Simultaneously, many families of victims are still waiting for the repatriation of their loved ones’ remains.

Demanding justice for the state crime at Pylos is the least we owe to the memory of the shipwreck’s victims and their families, as well as to the survivors who endured unspeakable trauma. It is also a crucial step in the fight to protect migrant populations and their rights. At a time when European governments are fostering discrimination, racism, and exploitation, we join our voices to demand a world of justice and solidarity.

The state crime at Pylos will neither be forgotten nor forgiven.

The undersigned organizations demand:

• A thorough investigation into the causes of the Pylos shipwreck and the prosecution of those truly responsible.
• Provision of necessary psychosocial support and the granting of international protection to all survivors.
• An immediate end to the criminalization of migration and the use of “facilitation” as a pretext for the systematic incarceration of displaced people.
• An immediate halt to increasingly deadly border violence.

Signatoires:

#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 - هيومينا لحقوق الانسان والمشاركة المدنية
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
Emantes - International Lgbtqia+ Solidarity
Lgbtqia+ Refugees Welcome
Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)
Migreurop
CNCD-11.11.11