Read here the SUBMISSION OF THE GREEK COUNCIL FOR REFUGEES (GCR) AND THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON REFUGEES AND EXILES (ECRE) TO THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE in accordance with Rule 9.2. of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers regarding the supervision of the execution of judgments and of terms of friendly settlements concerning the case of Safi and others v. Greece (Application No. 5418/15, 7 July 2022).
The case of Safi and Others v. Greece concerned the sinking of a fishing boat transporting 27 foreign nationals in the Aegean Sea, off the island of Farmakonisi, resulting in the death of 11 people – 8 children and 3 women. According to the survivors/applicants, the shipwreck occurred during and due to a pushback operation of the Hellenic Coast Guard. No effective criminal and administrative investigation into the circumstances of the incident took place. On 21 January 2015, an application before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) was lodged by 16 survivors.
In its judgment of 7th July 2022, the ECtHR found a violation of the right to life, due to the authorities’ failure to responsibly and effectively investigate such serious allegations. Moreover, the ECtHR found a violation of the right to life due to the omission of actions that the Greek authorities should and could have taken to protect human lives and prevent the tragic incident. The Court also held that Coast Guard officers had inflicted degrading and inhuman treatment against shipwreck survivors.
GCR and ECRE submit that the Safi case reveals a structural and complex problem, which cannot be considered an isolated incident and we request the Committee of Ministers to place the Safi case under the enhanced supervision.
Read also an analysis on the case of the 14th June 2023 Pylos shipwreck in the ANNEX: “THE PYLOS SHIPWRECK: A CLONE CASE 1 YEAR AFTER THE ISSUANCE OF SAFI JUDGMENT?”
