19/01: 32 people were pushed back by Hellenic Coast Guard east of Lesvos and brought to İzmir

Verified

  In Distress   Push-Back

20.01.2021 / 18:03 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 19th of January 2021

Case name: 20211901-AEG744

Situation: 32 people pushed back by Hellenic Coast Guard, were brought to İzmir

Status of WTM Investigation: concluded

Place of Incident: 32 people pushed back by Hellenic Coast Guard, were brought to İzmir

Summary of the Case:

On 19th January 2021 the Alarm Phone was alerted by a relative in the early morning to a boat in distress east of Lesvos. We received a GPS position, the telephone number of the travellers and the information that the people should have been returned by the Hellenic Coast Guard. No contact to the travellers could be established.

At 08.45h CET we called the Greek authorities. They said with this position it’s not their responsibility and also won’t confirm if there has been a case. The Alarm Phone called MRCC Ankara who confirmed the rescue of 32 people less hours ago near the given position. The Alarm Phone emailed UNHCR to report about this likely push back. At 10.33h CET we received an email from MRCC Ankara in which was specified that the Hellenic Coast Guard pushed back one group in the early morning. The 32 people were taken to İzmir.
Last update: 15:39 Mar 30, 2021
Credibility: UP DOWN 0
Layers »
  • Border police patrols     
    While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
  • Coastal radars     
    Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
  • Exclusive Economic Zone     
    Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
  • Frontex operations     
    Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
  • Mobile phone coverage     
    Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
  • Oil and gas platforms     
    Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
  • Search and Rescue Zone     
    An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
  • Territorial Waters     
    A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans

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