case, as the shipwreck occurred in international waters.11 The preliminary investigation by the Prosecutor Office of Piraeus Naval Court - that has jurisdiction over the Hellenic Coast Guard regardless of an operation’s location - is still pending at the time of writing. Moreover, the Greek Ombudsman launched an independent inquiry into the acts and omissions of members of the HCC, in its capacity as National Mechanism for Investigation of Arbitrariness Incidents by members of the security forces, after the HCC refused to conduct an internal disciplinary investigation into its operations relating to the shipwreck. 2.2. Human Rights Violations Continued to Be Reported Throughout 2023 and 2024 “Pushbacks” is the illegal state practice of informally and forcefully removing a person or a group of persons out of the country’s territory without assessing their claims for entry or protection.12 Pushback operations take place both at land and sea borders and can be conducted not only during the crossing of the border, but even after the arrival of the individual or the group to the territory.13 Furthermore, on 13 June 2024, a complaint was submitted to the FRONTEX Fundamental Rights Officer by 27 survivors, requesting the investigation of any action, omission or failure to act of the respective Frontex personnel in relation to the violations committed against the Pylos shipwreck victims. The survivors, represented by GCR and other organizations, stated that FRONTEX did not take the necessary actions and measures (such as issuing a Mayday alert and duly performing a surveillance operation) to protect persons in distress at sea while possessing the necessary means and, eventually, its omissions resulted to the death of hundreds of people who could have been rescued if the competent officials and staff had acted in accordance with their obligations under EU Law. HRW, Accountability Needed For Pylos Shipwreck, 22 May 2024, available at: https://www.hrw. org/news/2024/05/22/accountability-needed-pylos-shipwreck 11 See relatively the definition of “pushbacks” provided by ECCHR, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, available at: https://www.ecchr.eu/en/glossary/push-back/ ; See also the “2.1. Definition of Pushbacks” in: GCR, At Europe’s Borders: Between Impunity and Criminalization, March 2023, pp. 5-6. 12 13 10 Ibid. AT EUROPE’S BORDERS: PUSHBACKS CONTINUE AS IMPUNITY PERSISTS