This request remains without reply at the time of writing. Der Spiegel Investigation and Controversy Over the Alleged Death of the Girl: In August, Der Spiegel published three articles relevant to the case of the aforementioned group of 38 asylum seekers and the alleged death of the child on the islet, commenting on the Greek state’s responsibility.50 On 27 August, a Der Spiegel correspondent stated that the previous week he had entered the RIC in Fylakio and had conducted interviews with members of the group, including the parents of the girl who allegedly died.51 On 28 August, the Greek Ministry of Migration and Asylum issued a short press release stating that a journalist from an international press medium was granted access to the RIC in Fylakio, where the group of 38 asylum seekers remained restricted after their official arrest and registration.52 According to the Ministry, he obtained access by not disclosing his capacity as a journalist and presenting himself as a translator. The press release concerned the Der Spiegel correspondent, although he was not named, and stated that the Ministry would take legal action.53 On 19 September, the Greek Minister of Asylum and Migration also sent a letter to Der Spiegel’s editor-inchief stating that the asylum seekers had never been on Greek territory and that there was no dead child. Following the ongoing controversy over the case and the alleged death, Der Spiegel launched a new investigation.54 On 30 December, Der Spiegel published the findings of the investigation, concluding that it did not discover conclusive evidence of the death, nor of the child’s existence. Der Spiegel therefore retracted its original articles on the case.55 Territorial Status of the Islet: Initially, the Greek Government insisted that the islet where the refugees were stranded was not Greek but ber 2022, (in Greek): http://bit.ly/3Vn7xcd 50 Der Spiegel, Der Fall Maria – die Aufarbeitung, 30 December 2022, available [in German] at: https:// bit.ly/3XIyKYk 51 https://twitter.com/g_christides/status/1563565601263472641 Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Migration and Asylum, Press Release, 28 August 2022, available in Greek: https://migration.gov.gr/en/deltio-typoy-2/. ECRE, Greece: Government Takes Another Crack at Preventing Free Press – Reports of Pushbacks and Non-Response Continue, 2 September 2022, http://bit.ly/3Jc18hh 52 Regarding the entry of Der Spiegel correspondent in Fylakio, see: “Fylakio ist ein Lager, das die Geflüchteten nicht verlassen dürfen. Journalisten ist es nicht erlaubt, die Einrichtung ohne die Genehmigung der Behörden zu betreten. Der SPIEGEL- Korrespondent recherchierte ohne offizielle Erlaubnis trotzdem dort. Die Ressortleitung in Hamburg hatte dafür ihr Okay gegeben. Der Journalist, der auch freier Übersetzer ist, meldete sich für eine NGO in dieser Funktion unter seinem echten Namen an. So konnte er Ende August mit Mitgliedern der Flüchtlingsgruppe sprechen” in: Der Spiegel, Der Fall Maria – die Aufarbeitung, 30 December 2022, available [in German] at: http://bit.ly/3HI9VoM. “In its latest crackdown on free press the Greek government has threatened Der Spiegel with legal action over its reporting of the tragic death of a child stuck on an islet in the Evros region with authorities unresponsive for an extended period despite interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)” in: ECRE, Greece: Government Takes Another Crack at Preventing Free Press – Reports of Pushbacks and Non-Response Continue, 2 September 2022, http://bit.ly/3Jc18hh 53 54 Der Spiegel, Der Fall Maria – die Aufarbeitung, 30 December 2022, available [in German] at: https:// bit.ly/3XIyKYk 55 24 Ibid. AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: BETWEEN IMPUNITY AND CRIMINALIZATION