{"id":9621,"date":"2025-03-04T14:30:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T12:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hlhr.gr\/?p=9621"},"modified":"2025-03-04T14:31:46","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T12:31:46","slug":"joint-statement-accident-incident-brutal-crime-aegean-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hlhr.gr\/en\/joint-statement-accident-incident-brutal-crime-aegean-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint Statement: Neither an accident nor an incident \u2013 A brutal crime in the Aegean Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Greek Forum of Refugees (GFR)<\/a> and the RISE Network[1]\u00a0(Refugees Ideas and Solutions for Europe) express their\u00a0outrage, profound concern, and deep sorrow<\/strong>\u00a0over yet another\u00a0brutal crime<\/strong>\u00a0against refugees in the Aegean Sea. On\u00a0December 20, 2024<\/strong>, near\u00a0Rhodes Island<\/strong>, the\u00a0Hellenic Coast Guard deliberately rammed a boat carrying 27 refugees<\/strong>, including\u00a0women and children<\/strong>, leaving\u00a0eight dead, three of whom were decapitated or lost part of their bodies due to the severity of the collision. In addition, a four-year-old girl is missing<\/strong>. This\u00a0was neither an accident nor an incident \u2013 it was a brutal crime.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is not an isolated case. For years, Greece and EU institutions have turned a blind eye to systematic pushbacks, brutal violence, illegal detentions, and deliberate failures to conduct life-saving search and rescue operations. From the\u00a0Pylos shipwreck<\/strong>\u00a0in June 2023, which left\u00a0over 600 dead<\/strong>, to numerous other preventable tragic and fatal incidents. drownings, European border policies, particularly on the Greek-Turkish border, have become a mechanism of death.\u00a0The\u00a0<\/strong>scathing report<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0by the Greek Ombudsman on the Pylos shipwreck,\u00a0<\/strong>highlighting clear evidence of serious criminal liability among senior Coast Guard officers\u2014further demonstrates the deep-rooted impunity within Greek authorities.Additionally, the\u00a0European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling in\u00a0<\/strong>A.R.E vs Greece\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>(January 16, 2024) condemned Greece for violating the right to life when the Hellenic Coast Guard opened fire on a refugee boat near Pserimos Island in 2014, killing a passenger and injuring others. The court found that Greek authorities lacked clear regulations on lethal force in maritime operations, failed to conduct a proper investigation, and dismissed critical evidence, reinforcing a culture of impunity. \u00a0These systemic failures must be urgently addressed to prevent further tragedies.<\/p>\n

In a broken system that prioritizes deterrence over humanity,\u00a0traffickers emerge as the main perpetrators, exploiting desperation, endangering lives, and profiting from human suffering.<\/strong>\u00a0Yet rather than focusing accountability on these criminal networks,\u00a0<\/strong>Greek and European Union authorities\u00a0systematically target their victims:<\/strong>\u00a0refugees and asylum seekers fleeing war, persecution, and unimaginable tragedies.<\/p>\n

These people, already suffering unimaginable trauma, face further injustice as they are confronted with\u00a0punitive border policies and inhumane practices that exacerbate their vulnerability.<\/strong>\u00a0Too often, they pay\u00a0the highest price with their lives<\/strong>, while systemic failures allow violence and exploitation to thrive along Europe\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

We refuse to stay silent while refugees are being murdered at Europe\u2019s borders.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Rhodes Tragedy: A Crime Against Humanity<\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Two survivors, \u2018D\u2019\u2014searching for his missing four-year-old daughter\u2014and \u2018M,\u2019 who lost his wife to decapitation, describe the horror:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOur boat left Bodrum, Turkey, at 7:20 a.m. on December 20. It was a sunny day. At around 9:30 or 10 a.m., when we were close to Rhodes, two Coast Guard boats appeared behind us. One approached rapidly from the left side of our boat and\u00a0<\/em>rammed us without warning<\/strong>. Everything happened in seconds. The Coast Guard boat\u00a0<\/em>literally climbed on top of us<\/strong>, crushing those sitting in the front. When I regained consciousness, I saw bodies floating. A woman had\u00a0<\/em>no head<\/strong>. The other Coast Guard boat just watched us from a distance.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This testimony sheds light on the brutal circumstances of the tragedy. The survivors complain that the incident was not the result of an accident or mishap but of a deliberate crime.<\/p>\n

This crime\u00a0violates<\/strong>:<\/p>\n