08/10: 12 people pushed back near Simi

09.10.2021 / 15:46 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 8th of October 2021

Case name: 20211008-AEG831
Situation: 12 people pushed back near Simi, according to testimony Frontex involved in the illegal pushback
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

Around 12:00 CEST our team was alerted by a relative about a group of 12 people including 4 women, 5 men and 3 children, refugees from Syria, Iraq and Palestine. Shortly after the alert we were able to get in contact with them. We received a GPS-location near Simi (36.6250710, 27.9485340 at 12:32 CEST). The people were drifting in life-rafts in Turkish waters. This happened after being pushed back by a vessel of the Hellenic Coast Guard from Greek waters. When the travellers contacted us, they were in a state of panic. Therefore, we alerted the Turkish coastguard who took them back to Turkey. Around 14:55 CEST we received confirmation that the people had been rescued.

Days later a Syrian woman reported:

“We are from Syria and on 8th October we were on our way to Greece. In the middle of the sea we saw a military ship. It was not too big, but also not small and it had a flag of the European Union and also another flag I cannot remember. The men on this ship had dark uniforms. They were watching us until the Greek coastguard came, then they left. The Greeks took us on board of their ship. Then they destroyed our boat. Then they started driving around with us. They did not go directly back towards Turkey, they were driving around a bit before. After a while they first took all women and children they put us on one thing like boat [she does not find the word for life-raft] and then put this “boat” to the sea. The men they also took them and put them on another one, which was damaged and water was entering. Then they left us there and went back. We were full of fear and some people panicking. I had fear that we would all drown now, that we would die. We started then calling for help. We called the Turkish coastguard and we called also different NGOs. Finally the Turkish coastguard came and rescued us. We had to stay for 2 days in quarantine and then we were free again. Since then I tried to go two more times – because I have to find a place of safety.”

From the witness’ testimony the first vessel on the spot could belong to the Nato or Frontex mission in this area. We demand answers as to who was on spot and did not prevent this illegal push-back.

Last update: 16:08 Dec 13, 2021

Credibility:

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