16/01/2024 (Agence Europe) – In a Chamber judgment published on 16 January, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Greece had violated both the substantive and procedural aspects of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which enshrines the “right to life”. The case (“Alkhatib and others v. Greece”) concerns the interception of a boat carrying Syrian migrants off the island of Pserimos in September 2014. The coastguard then fired, seriously injuring one of the passengers, who subsequently died. The Court criticised Greece for the lack of “an adequate legislative framework governing the use of potentially lethal force in the area of maritime surveillance operations”, as well as the shortcomings in the investigation carried out by the national authorities. Greece will have to pay the claimants €80,000 in respect of non-pecuniary damage. (VL)