On 19 July 2023, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights addressed a letter to the Greek Prime Minister, stressing that Greece has the legal obligation to conduct effective investigations into the shipwreck, establish the facts and punish those responsible.6 vors - alleged smugglers - and another by the Prosecutor Office of Piraeus Naval Court into the possible criminal responsibility of the HCG. On 13 September 2023, forty survivors of the deadly shipwreck, represented by GCR and other organizations9, filed a crimi- “In my view, the shipwreck of 14 June is unfortunately not an isolated incident. The overall context in which the shipwreck occurred [...] should also lead to a reconsideration of the approach to refugees and migrants arriving by sea at the political, policy and practical level…”, wrote the Commissioner.7 In a similar vein, GCR and the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) argued that the violations identified by the Court in the Safi and others v. Greece judgment [regarding the Farmakonisi Shipwreck] are not isolated, instead they reflect systemic, structural and complex problems in Greece that repeatedly generate identical or broadly similar violations, with the most tragic demonstration of these being the Pylos shipwreck. 8 nal complaint against all responsible authorities before the Public Prosecutor Office of Piraeus Naval Court.10 The survivors argued that the Greek authorities not only refrained from taking the necessary rescue measures as soon as the vessel was located, but instead proceeded to tow the vessel resulting in its capsizing and sinking. At the same time, concerns have been raised regarding the lack of independence of investigative officers and the deficient evidence collection. Since early 2024, 15 more survivors filed a criminal complaint against all responsible authorities before the Naval Court of Piraeus, bringing the total number of complainants to 55. Greek authorities initiated two criminal investigations into the shipwreck: one by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Kalamata city targeted at 9 survi- On 21st May 2024, the Criminal Court of Kalamata acquitted the nine survivors - defendants of smuggling and illegal entry, while dismissing the charges against them for causing the shipwreck, ruling that it had no jurisdiction over the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Letter, Pylos shipwreck: the Greek authorities must ensure that effective investigations are conducted, 19 July 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yzevprjh 6 7 Ibid. GCR and ECRE Submission to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding the execution of the Safi judgment (Farmakonisi case), available at: https://gcr.gr/en/submissions-to-international-bodies/item/2232-gcr-and-ecre-submission-to-the-committee-of-ministers-of-the-council-of-europe-regarding-the-execution-of-the-safi-judgment-farmakonisi-case/ 8 Greek Council for Refugees (GCR), Refugee Support Aegean (RSA), The Network for Refugee and Migrant Rights, the Hellenic League for Human Rights (HLHR), the Initiative of Lawyers and Jurists for the shipwreck of Pylos. 9 GCR, 40 Survivors of the Pylos Shipwreck file a criminal complaint before the Naval Court of Piraeus, 14 September 2023, available at: https://gcr.gr/en/news/item/2184-minysi-enopion-tou-naftodikeiou-peiraia-katethesan-40-epizontes-tou-navagiou-tis-pylou/ 10 AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: PUSHBACKS CONTINUE AS IMPUNITY PERSISTS 9