Debate continues over Greece boat tragedy... The Mediterranean is a sea of death for migrants: Over 25,000 deaths in 10 years

Hundreds of people are still missing after the boat disaster that occurred on 14 June off the coast of the city of Pylos in Western Greece.

The United Nations Human Rights Office says about 500 migrants are missing.

104 people have been rescued alive, but none of the survivors are among the women or children allegedly held in the hold of the ship.

The Greek coastguard's failure to intervene and why it could not have rescued the migrants earlier is still under debate.

İnsanlık dışı politikaların faturası... Akdeniz göçmenler için ölüm denizi haline geldi: 10 yılda 25 bin can kaybıDünya

Alarm Phone, a helpline for refugees in distress in the Mediterranean, says it alerted the Greek authorities at 17.53 p.m. local time after those on board contacted them for help.

Contrary to the claims of the Greek coastguard that the boat was travelling towards Italy and that the refugees refused to be rescued, it was also revealed that the boat had been motionless in the sea for about 7 hours before the disaster.

The coastguard first denied that it had tied a rope to the boat, but had to admit that it had tied a rope to the sinking boat for a short time, contradicting the statements of the survivors.

In the lawsuit filed after the biggest migrant boat disaster of recent times, 9 Egyptian citizens aged between 20 and 40 were charged with "organising illegal migration", "human trafficking", "forming a criminal organisation" and "negligent homicide".

“PREVIOUS BOAT DISASTERS DID NOT HAVE SO MANY DEATHS AND CASUALTIES”

Christina Velentza, a lawyer at the Athens Bar Association and a researcher on international migration, refugee policies, and human rights, told Gerçek Gündem that the boat disaster is the result of the deliberate violent policies implemented by the European Union (EU) since the signing of the EU-Turkey agreement in 2016.

Velentza noted that such boat disasters occur very often, but previous disasters did not have such a high number of deaths and casualties:

"Reports say that about 100 children were locked in the hold of the boat. The Coast Guard received three distress calls. It has also emerged that the Greek Coast Guard ship towed the boat with a rope before it capsized, which they admitted, but they still deny that the accident led to a disaster."

MORE THAN 25,000 MIGRANTS HAVE DROWNED IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, ACCORDING TO UNITED NATIONS DATA

Velentza, who previously worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Greek Asylum Service, and the European Union External Relations Service, said that 441 refugees drowned in the Mediterranean in 2023.

According to UN data, the number of dead and missing in the Mediterranean in 2022 was 1,929. While the number of people arriving in Greece, Italy, Spain, and Malta by sea was 143,154, the number of people arriving by land was 7,564.

In the last 10 years, more than 25 thousand refugees and asylum seekers have drowned in the Mediterranean.

Stating that the policies deliberately implemented by the European Union should change, Velentza said that Europe should also change its system. "This shameful system that prioritises the neglect of human life and dignity is deeply problematic. The policies normalise and naturalise this inhuman, and degrading treatment, humiliation and death."

Velentza emphasised that all EU countries have a great responsibility for the protection of refugees and migrants:

"As long as Greece and the other member states are left alone in crisis situations without shared responsibility from EU countries, efforts to protect refugees will be in vain."

"HUMANITARIAN VISA FOR REFUGEES"

Velentza, a lawyer and researcher, stated that the violent closure of borders brings with it serious moral and legal problems. Stating that the EU should abandon the policy of deterrence, Velentza said: "The European Union should aim to develop legal and safe routes. It should provide humanitarian visas for refugees at the relevant embassies."

Velentza noted that Greeks, especially the left-wing and anti-fascist movements, react very quickly to human rights violations. The same is true for Greece's internal affairs, the lawyer said:

"Greeks have a culture of protest on political and social issues. Solidarity, unity, and empathy still prevail in Greek society."

However, Velentza doubts that the protests that started in Greece after the boat disaster will spread to other countries in Europe:

"Given the ultra-nationalist and hate speech in Europe, I personally doubt that anger against this shameful EU policy and state crimes will spread again. We have seen some activists advocating open borders and refugee rights in countries like Italy, Germany, and France, however these are mostly organised through social media and local initiatives."

"TURKEY DOES NOT FULFILL THE 'SAFE THIRD COUNTRY' CRITERIA"

Velentza sees the EU-Turkey deal as a political bargain. The EU has handed over the responsibility for hosting and protecting refugees to Turkey, while Turkey sees it as a means to speed up the visa liberalisation process:

"Since 2015-2016, both Greece and Turkey have been used as scapegoats. Turkey, which is going through a political and economic crisis, has been used politically to prevent refugees from entering European territory. Thus, refugees found refuge in Turkey."

Stating that the return of migrants from the Greek islands has been suspended since March 2020 as part of the Turkey-EU Statement, Velentza said that Turkey does not fulfill the legal criterion of a safe third country. "Concerns about the rule of law and human rights in Turkey are growing," Velentza said.

Kaynak: Gerçek Gündem