Freedom for nine accused in the Pylos shipwreck in Greece, which killed about 650 people

Nine accused in the accident of the Adriana fishing boat, which took the lives of about 650 people in the Ionian waters in Greece on the night of June 13 to 14, 2023, have been released this Tuesday, after 11 months. the prison . They were accused of human trafficking, belonging to a criminal organization and causing the shipwreck, the worst in Ionian waters and one of the deadliest in the Mediterranean. The defendants faced various sentences ranging from life imprisonment.

The Court of First Instance of Kalamata in the Peloponnese, where the trial took place, held that it did not have jurisdiction to hear the case because the fishing boat, which was headed towards Italy, was in international waters, although a The area under defense is in charge of the Greek country. The verdict came after hearing testimony from the only two witnesses called to the trial, two Greek coast guard officers – including the captain of the boat carrying out the rescue – and nine accused survivors. The court accepted the request of the defense and dropped all the charges.

“This is a very positive outcome because, finally, justice has been done. To be honest, we didn’t expect this,” says activist Nefeli Bellavila-Trova, a member of the Pylos 9 campaign platform. It is believed from the platform that this sentence represents a very important step forward in the field of Greek justice and in the decriminalization of migration. Currently, there are over 2,000 people imprisoned in the Greek country on similar charges and this could be a sign of a before and after. “Maybe from now on cases will start being better investigated,” says the activist, “but the fight does not end here, and we will continue to demand that the Greek government investigate the facts.”

Since the morning, various forums in defense of the “Pylos Nine”, as they are known, demonstrated outside the court, where there was a strong police presence. The room was packed with observers and international media due to pressure from human rights activists who demonstrated in defense of the accused during these months.

Many irregularities and many unanswered questions

Since the arrest of the nine survivors, human rights organizations and lawyers’ forums dealing with the case have been denouncing its irregularities and the lack of evidence against the accused. The haste of the investigation, problems of translation and interpretation, lack of credible evidence or coercion are some of them, with the aim of concealing the role played by the Greek Coast Guard in the shipwreck. Indeed, six survivors, investigated by the BBC, admitted that the Greek Coast Guard had pressured them to identify the nine accused as organizers of the trip.

All organizations agreed that it was a political trial aimed at covering up the responsibilities of the Greek Coast Guard and closing the case. That’s why, despite the victory, a detailed investigation is being requested into what happened during that fateful morning. According to the investigation by survivors and various organizations, the Greek Coast Guard, without immediately providing assistance to those killed, as prescribed by law, carried out a maneuver that caused the ship to sink.

“This was a state crime and we will not stop fighting to demand accountability,” says Nefeli Bellavilla-Trovaa. Organizations such as Amnesty International (AI) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) also ask that this decision not serve to hide the responsibilities of the Greek authorities. “We are very pleased with the court’s decision and we believe it is a great step forward in continuing the investigation to bring truth and justice to the survivors and their families, but now we must see that this case How does the investigation continue? We hope that a fair and independent investigation will be conducted and that all evidence, including the testimony of survivors, will be taken into account,” says Adriana Tidona, migration researcher at Amnesty International, who has been tracking the case since June last year. “We will continue to investigate,” he says, “because in Greece it seems that migrants are the only ones responsible for what happens in the sea.” We hope this will help officers shoulder their responsibilities.”

Greek deputy Alexis Haristis, from New Left, the party that emerged from the split of Syriza a few months ago, also echoed this view in a message on social network criminal charges and that the acquittal of the nine accused is an important positive development and we welcome it. Victims cannot become scapegoats. For a crime like the Pylos shipwreck, responsibilities cannot be transferred to those who have experienced the entire tragedy. But from now on whitewashing should also stop. There must be justice. The culprits for this crime must be traced.” In September 2023, 40 of the 104 survivors of the shipwreck filed a criminal complaint with the Piraeus Naval Court, demanding an independent investigation into the actions of the Greek Coast Guard during the early hours of June 13–14, 2023.

Now, the “Pylos 9” will be transferred from the prison to a reception and identification center, where they will wait until their status in Greece is resolved. “They will go from a prison to a refugee camp, which is ultimately very much like a prison, and there the asylum process will begin with each one of them,” says Nefeli Bellavilla-Trowa. The defendants’ lawyers will also seek compensation from the Greek government for the 11 months they have been in prison.