Category: Statements

Since 2020 there have been 3000 incidents in which people have been found in Turkish waters or shorelines after the Hellenic Coast Guard violently forced them back across the invisible sea border and left them adrift. Until now, more than 90,370 people were exposed to this atrocity.

In less than 4 and a half years the HCG, and their partners, have committed monstrous acts of torture, such as robbery, abductions, manslaughter and rape. It happens every day at the command of the Greek State and the European Union.

We do not believe in any legal system under capitalism and we know that the law is there only to protect those in power, but what now happens at the borders is an escalation on all levels. To be clear:
state actors are involved on a daily basis in actions that are prohibited even by the rules of war.

Continue reading 3000 pushback-cases in the Aegean Sea since 2020!

The trial of the Pylos 9 will happen on 21 May in Kalamata. The 9 have been accused of causing the Adriana shipwreck in June 2023, which killed over 600 people. This shipwreck was a massacre carried out by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Yet the Greek state has put these 9 people on trial in an act of misdirection, hiding its own involvement.
When the state kills it covers its tracks with post-mortems that attribute cause of death elsewhere: some latent toxin, some foreign body, some other malignancy. The 9 have been identified as the cause of death to make sure we look no further. No state willingly and in good faith investigates its own murderous acts. Knowing this, we undertook a post-mortem ourselves:

Continue reading The Pylos 9: framed for a state crime

Since 22 March, 46 people held in Korinthos detention centre have been on hunger strike protesting their arbitrary imprisonment, the violation of their rights and the inhuman conditions of detention.

A month ago, on 26 February, 13 other people went on hunger strike in the same detention centre. These 13 people were arrested after a shipwreck in December and have been detained ever since with no further explanation, denying them the right to ask for asylum. This group, having first been shipwrecked, were immediately placed in pre-removal detention, despite the Greek Ombudsperson requesting their immediate release. While on strike, the police raided their cells, threatening and manipulating them into ending it. A few days later, 8 people were transferred from Korinthos to Amygdaleza detention center, without being given a reason.

Continue reading Solidarity With The Detainees On Hunger Strike In Korinthos Detention Centre

At this very moment, over 2700 people are detained in Greece as “smugglers” for exercising their freedom of movement or after being found guilty of “facilitating” it in others. Even more people are imprisoned in the rest of Europe. People on the move are often arrested and convicted of such “crimes” after entering Europe. They might have been driving boats or cars across a border but, equally likely, they might not. Some were arrested completely at random. Some were simply those sitting next to their dinghy’s steering gear. Others were the only ones in their boat with a bit of nautical knowledge. Some might have paid a bit less for their trip. Others might have received some money. In Greek law a person driving a boat is considered a “facilitator”, no matter if money is involved or not. Despite its harmless connotations, this word – “facilitator” – defines the lives of the people labelled by it.

Continue reading Free the Captains!

iuventa-crew PRESS RELEASE

Judge to announce decision in IUVENTA case on 19 April

Trapani, 02.03.24 – Today marked the final day of the preliminary hearing against the iuventa-crew. Following the prosecution’s unexpected request to drop the charges, the defense delivered a powerful closing argument, demanding not only the dismissal of the case but also the full recognition of the legality of all actions. Moreover, they called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the case to establish accountability for the erroneous investigation and its serious implications. The judge announced that he would deliver his decision on 19 April 2024.

The four final days of the preliminary hearing in the Iuventa case began on Wednesday with an unexpected turn. During the presentation of the final arguments, the prosecution, who was the first to speak, surprisingly requested for the charges to be dropped (for more information, please refer to Wednesday’s press release here), despite having pursued the case for almost 7 years.
They did not argue not that no crimes were committed, however, but that the defendants’ intent could not be sufficiently proven.

The defense team of the iuventa-crew continued their closing arguments on Thursday and Friday, vehemently disagreeing with this rationale. Over the course of several hours, they systematically refuted and dismantled all alleged evidence pertaining to the incidents in question. Moreover, they emphasized that beyond the factual reconstruction of the specific incidents, the entry of rescued individuals into Italy should be considered lawful under any circumstance. They argued that all actions taken by the iuventa-crew were lawful and well within their rights – grounded in both international and national legal principles such as the notion of distress and the duty to rescue, as well as the fundamental rights of the accused.

They also highlighted that since the seizure of the IUVENTA and throughout the ongoing trial, many pertinent facts have been established by other courts. For example, the recent ruling by the court of cassation reiterating that Libya is not a safe port directly applies to the IUVENTA case.

Additionally, they reiterated that the trial was political, evidenced by the politically driven investigation. Despite the lack of evidence indicating wrongdoing, authorities persisted in their pursuit. The Ministry of Interior even enlisted the special branch of the police to take over the investigation, indicating a strong political influence.

The defence lawyers demanded that the court not simply dismiss the case due to an alleged lack of evidence on the intent of the accused but instead grant full recognition that the actions of the iuventa-crew were not only lawful but also in line with their fundamental rights.

Furthermore, the iuventa-crew’s defense joined a motion requesting the court to compel the prosecution to investigate the misleading nature of the allegations made against the iuventa-crew.

During today’s hearing, the judge asked for some more weeks to deliver his decision and scheduled the 19th of April for this.

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