Illegal expulsion of 200 people off the coast of Crete by Greek authorities in 2020
7.2.2023
Question for written answer E-000371/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Erik Marquardt (Verts/ALE)
On 27 January 2023, the non-governmental organisation Legal Centre Lesvos published a ‘forensic reconstruction’ video[1] of an illegal pushback of 200 people that took place in October 2020 in Greece. The migrants boarded a rubber boat in Türkiye and were then caught in a storm off the coast of Crete. They found themselves in a state of emergency, so they sent a distress call to the Hellenic Coast Guard, who illegally and violently pushed the people back into Turkish waters. They were ultimately abandoned on life rafts at sea. Eleven passengers, together with the Legal Centre Lesvos, have brought the case[2] to the European Court of Human Rights.
- 1.Is the aforementioned series of events in line with EU acquis, especially the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Asylum Procedures Regulation?
- 2.Has this case or have other similar cases been discussed by the European Contact Group on Search and Rescue?
- 3.Does the Commission expect the Greek National Transparency Authority or the recently established Greek fundamental rights mechanism to conduct an inquiry into the aforementioned events?
Submitted: 7.2.2023