Up to 600 people drown off Pylos, Greece – an open letter

Up to 600 people drown off Pylos, Greece – only days after EU leaders agreed to further erode the right to asylum

Open letter signed by over 180 human rights organizations and initiatives together with Tima Kurdi, aunt of Alan Kurdi.

Today on World Refugee Day, we jointly demand full and independent investigations into the events, clear consequences for those responsible, an end to the systematic pushback practices at the European borders, and justice for the victims.

10 years after the two shipwrecks off Lampedusa, Italy, killing around 600 people and causing an immense public outcry, up to 600 people drowned off Pylos, Greece, in the Mediterranean Sea. On June 14, 2023, once again, the European border regime killed people exercising their right to seek protection. We are shaken! And we stand in solidarity with all survivors and with the families and friends of the deceased. We express our deep condolences and grief.

So far, uncountable questions remain unanswered. According to testimonies of the survivors, the Hellenic coast guard towed the boat causing it to capsize. Why was this incredibly dangerous maneuver attempted at all? Did the Hellenic coast guard tow the boat toward Italy to push people forward into Italian or Maltese responsibility? Why did neither the Hellenic coast guard nor the Italian or Maltese authorities intervene earlier even though they were alerted at least 12 hours before? What role did the European border and coast guard agency Frontex play?

In all this uncertainty, one thing is unmistakable: This shipwreck – as well as countless others before – is the direct consequence of political decisions taken to prevent people from arriving in Europe. This shipwreck results from the impunity of illegal activities exercised by states at borders and the legalization of practices that aim to normalize the deprivation of rights of people on the move. Activists and organizations have denounced systematic push- and pullbacks, delays and omission of rescues, criminalization of civil search and rescue operations, and cooperation with unsafe countries to externalize European borders and to carry out refoulments. European migration and externalization policies cause physical and psychological violence, imprisonment, and death. Stop diverting your responsibility – Stop killing people on the move!

So far, the European Union and its member states have shown no intention to learn from the past years and end the deaths in the Mediterranean. Instead, they tighten their deadly policies of isolation. Only last week, on 8 June, the Council of the European Union agreed on a reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) leading to a massive deprivation of fundamental rights, such as the right to asylum or the right to move freely.

It was only a matter of time until the next shipwreck happened and it will happen again while conditions in countries of origin, transit, and departure worsen and border practices force people on the move to take more dangerous routes. Since Lampedusa in 2013, we have seen at least 27.047 deaths in the Mediterranean Sea. One of them was Alan Kurdi. His aunt, Tima Kurdi, loudly speaks out about the deadly shipwreck:

This shipwreck brings back my pain, our pain. I am heartbroken. I am heartbroken for all the innocent souls lost that are not just numbers in this world. “Never again” we heard in 2015, I heard it countless times. And what changed? How many innocent souls have been lost at sea since then? I want to take you back to September 2, 2015, when all of you saw the image of my nephew, the 2-year-old baby lying on the Turkish beach. What did you feel when you saw his image? What did you say, what did you do? Me, when I heard about my nephew drowning, I fell to the floor crying and screaming as loud as I could because I wanted the world to hear me! Why them? Why now? And who’s next? Since then, I decided to raise my voice and speak up for everyone who is not heard. And most importantly for my nephew, the boy on the beach, Alan Kurdi, whose voice will never be heard again. Please do not be silent and add your voice to mine. We cannot close our eyes and turn our backs to people seeking protection. Open your heart and welcome people fleeing to your doorstep.

The European migration policy needs to change now. It needed to change a long time ago already. It needs to provide safe ways to flee. Building a wall is no solution. Detaining rescue ships for saving lives is no solution. Blaming people as smugglers is no solution. People are suffering, and they will always find a way to flee. You have the power to decide if they have to take dangerous routes because there is no other way to go. Act on it!”

With the unforgivable shipwreck off Greece, we see that the Mediterranean Sea is not only a graveyard, it is a crime scene. A scene of crimes against humanity with millions of privileged tourists continuing to cruise on it freely every year. On this account, we demand an immediate end to (systemic) border violence. We demand that:

  • both Greek and European governments and institutions ensure that full, thorough, and independent investigations into these events are conducted. It’s time for complete transparency about what happened and accountability of those responsible. This includes officials who were directly involved in the events through decision-making, as well as those political leaders who have been facilitating and perpetuating the hostile practices at the external borders for years. Access to justice for the victims and their loved ones must be ensured.
  • the Greek government immediately releases the Pylos shipwreck’s survivors from (semi-)closed facilities and instead provides them with dignified accommodation and any kind of support needed, such as independent legal counseling, psychological support, and the possibility to communicate with families and friends. Furthermore, we petition for the release of the 9 men arrested. We condemn the criminalization of people on the move, blamed for illegalized entries and deaths at sea. These accusations are intended to exonerate responsible state actors.
  • all European member states at the external borders stop the weaponizing of time by delaying rescue efforts. Furthermore, we demand independent investigations and conclusive measures by the European Commission against the systematic practice of pushbacks and non-assistance at sea and on land conducted by European member states – as widely demonstrated by organizations and activists in recent years.
  • the European Union and its member states provide safe and legal routes to Europe as the only solution to avoid further loss of life at sea. The CEAS reform, further eroding the right to asylum in the European Union, must not become law. Additionally, we demand the creation of a long overdue European state-led rescue program.

Signatories

  • Tima Kurdi
  • Abolish Frontex
  • aditus foundation
  • AED – European Democratic Lawyers
  • Afrique-Europe-Interact
  • Aftenergeia (Self-action) – political collective
  • AK Arbeitskämpfe, Assoziation für kritische Gesellschaftsforschung (AkG)
  • Alarme Phone Sahara
  • All Included Amsterdam
  • Amal Berlin!
  • Anarchist Solidarity
  • antira.org
  • ASGI – Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration
  • Asians of Chaos Association for Justice, Equality and Peace (AJEP)
  • Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants – ASAM Türkiye
  • Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants – ASAM Greece
  • Asylum Links
  • Baobab Experience
  • Barnim für Alle
  • BIPoC Ukraine &and friends in gGermany
  • Blue Door Education
  • Border Forensics
  • borderline-europe – Human Rights without Borders
  • Border Violence Monitoring Network
  • Boza Fii – Alarm Phone Dakar
  • Bozen Solidale
  • Bridges over Borders e.V.
  • Café Zuflucht / Refugio e.V., Aachen
  • Cambiare l’Ordine delle Cose – Forum Nazionale
  • Campagna LasciateCIEntrare
  • Campaign „You can‘t evict solidarity“
  • Captain Support Network
  • Carovane Migranti (Italia-Messico-Tunisia)
  • Centre for Peace Studies
  • Channel Info Project
  • Chkoun Collective
  • Civil March For Aleppo
  • Clinica del Diritto dell’Immigrazione e della Cittadinanza Roma
  • CNCD-11.11.11
  • Collective Aid
  • Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche Alto Vicentino
  • CompassCollective
  • Convenzione dei diritti nel Mediterraneo
  • CopwatchFFM
  • CPT – Aegean Migrant Solidarity
  • Cuistots solidaires asbl
  • de:border | migration justice collective
  • Diotima Centre for Gender Rights & Equality
  • Droit de rester- Fribourg
  • Droit de rester- Lausanne
  • Dutch League for Human Rights
  • ECHO100PLUS
  • EMERGENCY
  • Ens Movem
  • EqualHealth´s Campaign Against Racism
  • Equal Legal Aid
  • Ermittlungsausschuss Hamburg
  • EuroMed Rights
  • Europe Cares
  • Feminist Autonomous Centre for Research
  • Flüchtlingsrat Hamburg e.V.
  • Flüchtlingsrat Sachsen-Anhalt
  • Forensic Architecture
  • Forensis e.V.
  • Foundation Day of the Endangered Lawyer
  • Freie deutsch syrische Gesellschaft e.V.
  • From the Sea to the City
  • Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
  • Grupa Granica
  • Gruppo Melitea
  • Haitian Bridge Alliance
  • Hub Humanitaire de Bruxelles Médecins du Monde Belgique
  • Human Rights Association (Turkey)
  • Human Rights at Sea
  • HumanRights360
  • Humans before borders
  • I Have Rights.
  • Initiativenbündnis Berlinzusammen
  • Integra Foundation
  • Inter Alia
  • Internationaler Fußballclub Rostock
  • Irida Women’s Center
  • Irídia-Centre for the defense of human rights
  • iuventa-crew
  • Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Malta
  • Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Greece
  • Jewish Antifascist Bund Berlin
  • JG-Stadtmitte Jena
  • Jugendkulturinitiative Schwäbisch Gmünd
  • Just Action
  • JUZ Friedrich Dürr, Mannheim
  • Klimagerechtigkeit für alle
  • Kopin – Empowering Communities
  • kritnet – Netzwerk Kritische Migrations- und Grenzregimeforschung
  • Kuchnia Konfliktu Poland
  • Kulturkollektiv Semtex St. Pauli
  • #LeaveNoOneBehind
  • Legal Centre Lesvos
  • Lesvos Solidarity
  • Let’s Bring Them Here, The Netherlands
  • Lighthouse Relief
  • Ligue Tunisienne pour les Droits Humains (LTDH)
  • Lungo la rotta balcanica
  • Lützerath Lebt
  • Maldusa
  • Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society
  • Malta LGBTIQ Rights Movement
  • MARDi NGO
  • Mare Liberum
  • Mare*Go
  • Médecins Du Monde Belgique
  • Médecins du Monde Greece
  • Medici del Mondo Italia
  • medico international
  • MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans
  • Mediterranean Children’s Movement
  • Mem.Med – Memoria Mediterranea
  • Migrant Solidarity Network
  • Migrant Women Assocition Malta
  • migration control.info
  • MiGreat
  • Migreurop
  • Mission Lifeline e.V.
  • Mobile Info Team
  • movements without borders
  • MV Louise Michel
  • No Border Assembly
  • No Border Medics e.V.
  • No Border Kitchen Lesvos
  • No Name Kitchen
  • No Nation Truck
  • NoBorders community Athens
  • Non Una di Meno Venezia
  • Northern Lights Aid
  • Novact – International Institute for Nonviolent Action
  • Open Assembly Against Border Violence Lesvos
  • Paulo Freire Institute Foundation Malta
  • Plateforme Citoyenne en Soutien aux Réfugiés – BelRefugees
  • Pro Bleiberecht in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
  • Project Armonia
  • Project Play
  • r42 – SailAndRescue
  • RAV, Republican Lawyers’ Association
  • Reclaim the sea
  • Red Antirracista Tarragona
  • Refugee Legal Support
  • Refugees in Libya
  • Refugees in Tunisia
  • Refugees’ Solidarity movement
  • Republikanischer Anwältinnen – und Anwälteverein e.V. (RAV)
  • ResQ People Saving People
  • RESQSHIP e.V.
  • Right to Resist – linke Ukraine Solidarität Hamburg
  • Roots, Dunkirk
  • Safe Passage International
  • Safe Passage International AMKE
  • Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario
  • SARAH gUG
  • Sea Punks e.V.
  • Sea-Eye e.V.
  • Sea-Watch e.V.
  • Seebrücke
  • Seebrücke Frankfurt am Main
  • Seebrücke Jena
  • Seebrücke Kassel
  • Seebrücke Mainz
  • Seebrücke Schweiz
  • Sienos Grupė
  • Solidarischer Wohn- und Kulturraum Mannheim
  • Solidarisches Kollektiv Oberbadgasse e.V.
  • Solidarité sans frontières
  • SOS Humanity
  • Spazio Autogestito 77
  • St. Pauli Fanclub Dörte Becker
  • Statewatch
  • Stella Network North Macedonia
  • Stop deportation center BER
  • Sudan Uprising Germany
  • SUDS – Associació Internacional de Solidaritat i Cooperació
  • Swiss Democratic Lawyers
  • The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
  • Tunisian forum for economic and social rights FTDES
  • Ultrà Sankt Pauli
  • United4Rescue – Gemeinsam retten e.V.
  • Verband deutsch syrischer Hilfsvereine e.V.
  • VVN-BdA e.V. Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten
  • VVN-BdAN e.V. Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten Landesorganisation Hamburg
  • Walk Off Shame Europe
  • Was jetzt e.V.
  • Watch the Med – Alarm Phone
  • WISH – Lesvos Women in Solidarity House on Lesvos
  • WISH-No Borders
  • Wohn- und Kulturprojekt SWK Mannheim
  • Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Germany
  • Women’s Rights Foundation Malta
  • Yoga and Sport with Refugees
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