Balkans | An open letter from academics in Greece to the authorities about the migrant disaster

332 academics in Greece have sent an open letter to the European Union and the country’s authorities regarding the migrant disaster off the Peloponnese peninsula.

In addition to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Ministries of the Navy, Migration and Asylum and Academics European Union Commission and the European Union agency responsible for managing its external borders frontexThe letter he sent drew attention to the contradictory statements made by the Greek authorities.

The letter stated that the pushbacks applied by the Greek authorities should end.

The following phrases were used in the letter, which drew attention to the delay or non-delivery of assistance for the sinking migrant boat:

“While the investigation into the tragic incident continues, it is important to avoid intentional or unintentional misinterpretation of the current state of international law in relation to search and rescue. For the purposes of search and rescue, the high seas or international waters are divided between countries. In this case, the migrant ship is in danger GreeceGreece’s search and rescue area, and thus Greece had a legal obligation to rescue.

The academics expressed concern about Frontex’s legal obligations in search and rescue, and emphasized that an independent investigation should be conducted into whether Frontex took all expected actions after first sighting the boat to save the migrants’ lives.

Disaster off the coast of Greece

On June 14, a fishing boat carrying illegal immigrants capsized in international waters 47 nautical miles from Navarino, located in the Peloponnese, Greece, killing 82 people, 104 people were rescued and brought to the port of Kalamata.

According to the nonprofit organization Alarm Phone, there were about 700 people on board.

Allegations of negligence by the Greek Coast Guard

And it was reported in the Greek media that a migrant who survived the disaster said in his statement to the Public Prosecutor that the boat sank when the Greek Coast Guard teams began to pull it with ropes.

In a statement by another immigrant, “The Greek Coast Guard boat tied a rope to the boat and while towing the boat, the boat started swaying from side to side due to excessive speed and capsized.” What he said was recorded.

The Greek newspaper Evmerida Ton Syntacton claimed that the ship was removed from the scene of the accident by the Coast Guard teams, in the news that included the statements of the captain of the oil tanker named “Violent Warrior”, which passed from the point where the disaster occurred. happened.

The Greek search and rescue center allegedly learned that the overloaded boat was swaying dangerously, and stated that questions should be answered as to why coast guard teams chose to remove the oil tanker instead of calling it to the scene for a possible rescue.

Alexis Tsipras, leader of the main opposition Alliance of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), visited the port of Kalamata, where the migrants who survived the disaster were taken, to get information about the incident. He said the migrants told him that Greek coast guard teams were trying to push the boat into Italian waters.

AA