6 June 2024 – On 14 June 2023, the Adriana, a boat leaving from Libya for Italy with hundreds of migrants on board, sank inside the Greek Search and Rescue (SAR) zone in the Mediterranean Sea. This would become the deadliest migrant shipwreck in recent history. Over 600 people died with a clear responsibility of the Hellenic Coast Guard and Frontex for a lack of clear procedures in cases of distress, as the investigation of the European Ombudsman stated.

Continue reading “Pylos, El Hiblu, Homayoun and thousands of innocents accused of being smugglers”

Our clients, nine survivors of the shipwreck off the coast of Pylos, were unjustly detained for eleven months in prisons, accused of serious crimes and stigmatized by the mainstream media, which, from the very first moment, not only failed to respect the presumption of innocence, but also published photos of them even from inside the hospital, with the aim of disorienting public opinion and covering up the real reasons for the deadly shipwreck. Furthermore, the objective was to serve the narrative of the suppression of the people responsible for illegal immigration and the shipwrecks that occur in the Greek SAR.

It seems that the acquittal of our clients by the Three-Member Criminal Court of Appeal does not serve the above-mentioned objectives. For this reason, the Greek state, instead of making amends for the unjust lengthy deprivation of their freedom, by providing psychological support and all the necessary means for their smooth return to a life of freedom and their integration into society, insists on treating them with cruelty and inhumanity. Instead of being released, they are administratively detained! For eleven months, we have been watching how victims of this shipwreck, like the 9 who are now administratively detained, are constantly re-victimized, either by their unjust pre-trial detention or by their unfair, and vindictive administrative detention.

Read the whole press release on the website of the Free Pylos 9 campaign

21 May 2024 – Europe supports, finances and is directly involved in clandestine operations in North African countries to dump tens of thousands of Black people in the desert or remote areas each year to prevent them from coming to the EU

For years, the EU has handed large sums of money to North African countries for “migration management”, aimed at reducing the number of people trying to reach Europe. The annual amount given has increased year-on-year, with the EU sending hundreds of millions of euros to individual countries in the last year alone.

The EU claims publicly that it monitors how this money is spent, and that it does not contribute towards human rights abuses against the people it is aimed at preventing from migrating. But the reality is different.

Read the whole article on the website of Lighthouse Reports

The team of defense lawyers for the nine survivors of the Pylos shipwreck invites you to a Press Conference on Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 12:00, at ESIEA (Athens Press Union, 20 Akadimias Street, Athens, 3rd floor). The press conference will also be broadcasted live by OmniaTV.

The trial of the nine Egyptian survivors of the deadly shipwreck of Pylos is set for the 21 May 2024, in Kalamata.

The defendants were arrested and charged, with insufficient evidence, as being responsible for the tragedy, in less than 24 hours after the shipwreck. Some of them were taken to the port authorities directly from the hospital where they were hospitalized. The investigation into what really happened was closed within a few months, without a thorough examination of the available evidence, particularly that which could shed light on the actual circumstances of the shipwreck. All relevant requests by the defense team in this respect were rejected.

Read the whole press release on the website Free Pylos 9

7 May 2024 – The Finnish and Italian governments last month presented a plan on “countering instrumentalization of migration and migrant smuggling” to the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, calling for “innovative ways” to address the issues – including by increased cooperation between the EU and NATO.

The “non-paper” (pdf) argues that the EU and NATO “should further develop their means of responding to hybrid threats,” a military term that in recent years has come to encompass the “instrumentalization” of migrants by non-EU states.

[…]

According to Finland and Italy, the deal with Tunisia sets the standard “for further balanced, comprehensive, mutually beneficial partnerships with third countries,” and highlights “the importance of ensuring its full implementation.” Doing so will require a more prominent role for Europol and Frontex, says the note, which asserts a need to “harness all the capabilities of Frontex in line with the whole-of-route concept through effectively deploying the Agency in third countries.”

Read the article on the website of Statewatch

Continue reading “On International Migrants Day activists demand an end to Frontex’s activities in Africa”

In advance of the upcoming action day, we talked to the Civil Fleet podcast about Frontex’s wrongdoings on the African continent, the problems with border externalisation, and why the EU border regime needs to be abolished.

Listen to the episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or directly here.

19 November 2023 – The European Commission wants to agree “new anti-smuggling operational partnerships” with Tunisia and Egypt before the end of the year, despite longstanding reports of abuse against migrants and refugees in Egypt and recent racist violence endorsed by the Tunisian state. Material and financial support is already being stepped up to the two North African countries, along with support for Libya.

The plan for new “partnerships” is referred to in a newly-revealed annex of a letter from European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, that was sent to the European Council prior to its meeting in October and published by Statewatch.

Read the article on the website of Statewatch.