Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Rights groups call for 'credible' investigation into Greece migrant boat tragedy

The tragic incident involved an overcrowded fishing trawler carrying an estimated 400-750 individuals from Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt

Rights groups call for 'credible' investigation into Greece migrant boat tragedy

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch (HRW) have jointly called for a "credible" investigation into a migrant shipwreck off Greece in June, during which hundreds of people lost their lives.

The organisations expressed concern over conflicting accounts provided by the Greek coastguard and survivors of the incident.


The tragic incident involved an overcrowded fishing trawler carrying an estimated 400-750 individuals from Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt.

The vessel sank in international waters off Greece while en route to Italy from Libya. Out of the passengers, only 104 men survived, and authorities recovered 82 bodies.

Survivors have reported that the Greek coast guard attempted to tow the trawler, leading to its capsizing, according to interviews and evidence documented by Reuters.

The Greek coastguard and government have denied attempting to tow the boat and stated that the vessel overturned when the coastguard was approximately 70 metres away.

In response to the tragic incident, Greek judicial authorities have initiated an investigation into the causes of the disaster.

This investigation is expected to take more than a year. Additionally, the actions of the coast guard are also under scrutiny.

Amnesty International and HRW, in a joint statement, revealed that they conducted interviews with 19 survivors, four relatives of the missing individuals, as well as nongovernmental organisations, UN agencies, and representatives from the Greek coast guard and police during their visit to Greece between July 4-13.

"Survivors interviewed by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch consistently stated that the Hellenic Coast Guard vessel dispatched to the scene attached a rope to the Adriana and started towing, causing it to sway and then capsize," they said.

Judith Sunderland, associate Europe and central Asia director at HRW, said the disparities between survivors' accounts and the authorities' version were "extremely concerning."

Both groups called for "a full and credible investigation into the shipwreck... to clarify any responsibility for both the sinking of the ship and delays or shortcomings in the rescue efforts that may have contributed to the appalling loss of life."

The EU rights watchdog last month also announced a probe into the sinking and whether Frontex, the bloc's border agency, fulfilled its rescue duties.

(Reuters)

More For You

Sara Sharif e1692881096452

Sara was discovered dead in her bunkbed on 10 August 2023.

Sara was discovered dead in her bunkbed on 10 August 2023.

'Chatterbox with biggest smile': Headteacher pays tribute to Sara Sharif

SARA SHARIF, a ten-year-old girl who suffered fatal abuse at the hands of her father and stepmother, is being remembered as a cheerful and caring pupil with a love for singing.

Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty on 11 December of her murder at their home in Woking, Surrey, on 8 August 2023. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Keep ReadingShow less
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,  on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump nominates Harmeet Dhillon for top Department of Justice role

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American attorney Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Keep ReadingShow less