On 9 November, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, welcomed the opening by the Greek Ombudsman institution - “in its capacity as national mechanism for the investigation of arbitrary incidents by members of the security forces” - of an independent investigation into “the acts and potential omissions of members of the Greek Coast Guard in relation to the shipwreck off Pylos on 14 June this year”.
At the beginning of August, the Commissioner called for an investigation of this kind into this tragedy, which resulted in the deaths of more than 80 migrants and the disappearance of several hundred others.
In her statement, the Commissioner “notes with regret” the decision by the Greek Coast Guard not to conduct a disciplinary investigation and asks it to cooperate fully with the Ombudsman’s institution.
It is “paramount importance” to “shed light on the circumstances of the event and lead to the establishment of the facts and, where appropriate, the punishment of those responsible”, the Commissioner stresses.
She had already communicated these imperatives to the Greek Prime Minister in a letter dated 19 July.
Link to the Declaration: https://aeur.eu/f/9if (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)