Athens, Greece – A leading European official for human rights has called on the Greek government to investigate allegations of negligence related to a tragic boat sinking in 2023 that claimed the lives of hundreds of migrants near southern Greece.
Michael O’Flaherty, who serves as the human rights commissioner for the Council of Europe, brought attention to recent findings from Greece’s Ombudsman, which highlighted failures by coast guard personnel in preventing one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the Mediterranean.
In June 2023, a fishing trawler named the Adriana, which was severely overcrowded, sank in international waters off Pylos, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of migrants. Survivors have alleged that the Greek coast guard did not respond to the vessel’s initial distress signals before it capsized, a claim that the government has strongly denied.
The Greek Ombudsman, Andreas Pottakis, indicated that there were “clear signs” that senior officials in the coast guard ignored the imminent peril faced by migrants on board.
O’Flaherty, who maintains close communication with the Ombudsman, remarked on the significance of these findings and urged the authorities to take decisive measures to ensure that those responsible face appropriate criminal and disciplinary consequences. His office made these statements in a report issued on Tuesday.
During his recent trip to Greece, O’Flaherty met with five government ministers and various other officials, as well as survivors of the shipwreck, their legal representatives, and advocacy organizations.
Estimates suggest there were between 500 and 750 individuals aboard the Adriana at the time of its capsizing as it was en route from Libya to Italy. Only 104 survivors managed to escape, while 82 bodies were recovered from the sea, with many others presumably trapped within the sunken vessel.
In response to the Ombudsman’s report, the Greek government reiterated its complete trust in the coast guard’s efforts regarding maritime safety and rescue operations. They contended that the Ombudsman’s findings were biased, as they accepted survivor allegations “without any reliable documentation.”
In another development, a court in southern Greece dismissed a case filed against nine Egyptian survivors of the shipwreck who were accused of causing the sinking, stating that the court lacked jurisdiction since the incident occurred in international waters.
