On Sunday, the Greek coastguard announced that it had intercepted 117 asylum-seekers, who were attempting to make the journey from Libya to Italy.
According to the “Greek City Times” newspaper, the coastguard arrested three individuals who were suspected of being involved in human trafficking.
The rescued group consisted of 84 men, two women, and 31 minors, who were found on board a 10-meter boat that had docked in a bay in southern Crete, typically used by local fishermen.
According to a statement from the Greek authorities, the asylum-seekers revealed that they had departed from Tobruk, Libya on Thursday, with the goal of reaching Italy.
In August 2023, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International called for an independent and impartial investigation into the deadly Pylos shipwreck in July, off the Greek coast.
The fishing vessel, Adriana, was carrying an estimated 750 people when it sank, leaving 104 survivors. The ship is believed to have set off from Libya.
Survivors’ accounts suggest that the vessel was towed by a Greek coastguard boat, causing the fatal wreck, but the Greek authorities have denied these claims.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have urged the Greek authorities, with support and scrutiny from the international community, to ensure a transparent investigation to provide truth and justice for survivors and families of the victims and hold those responsible to account.
During their visit to Greece between 4-13 July, the organisations interviewed 19 survivors, four relatives of the missing, NGO’s, representatives of the Hellenic Coast Guard and the Greek police, the United Nations, and various international agencies and organisations.
Survivors consistently stated that the Hellenic Coast Guard vessel dispatched to the scene attached a rope to the Adriana and began towing, causing it to sway and then capsize.
The survivors also consistently said that passengers asked to be rescued, and that they witnessed others on the boat plead for rescue by satellite phone in the hours before their boat capsized.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have also raised concerns over the Greek authorities’ longstanding failure to ensure accountability for violent and unlawful pushbacks. This raises concerns over their ability, and willingness to carry out effective and independent investigations.