30/03: 34 people stuck on an islet in the Evros river for five days

31.03.2022 / 19:03 / Eastern Med

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of March 2022

Case name: 2022_03_30-AEG875
Situation: 34 people stuck on an islet in the Evros river for five days.
Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded
Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:
On 30th of March Alarm Phone receives a message saying:

"We have been stuck for two days on a Greek island in the Evros river. We have young children, women and an old man. We suffer from lack of food and two children are in poor health. We hope to help us reach the Cross or the Red Crescent. We cannot get out of here and our situation is tragic. Please help us. This is our situation for two days. We suffer from cold, but we cannot light a fire to warm up because of the Greek army and the children are suffering from cold in the middle of the island. Greek soldiers terrify children and women with their methods, they want us to surrender ourselves to take us back to Turkey."

At noon Alarm Phone alerted Greek authorities, Frontex and UNHCR in order to assist the group in getting off the islet. On the phone, Greek officers first told Alarm Phone they did not find the group. They later acknowledged, however, knowing about the case and assured to bring the people to Greece. Despite their promises, the group remains stuck on the islet without any help. The people reported that Turkish as well as Greek authorities were there, filming them, driving by in cars, not assisting and not speaking to the people. Also, Frontex confirmed having received the distress call, however only forwarding it to the Greek authorities. Once again, Frontex stays inactive and puts people’s lives at risk. During the whole time we were in contact with the people, they suffered from the cold and a lack of food and water. After an application for Interim Measures at the European Court of Humans Rights had been made, the court decided on March 31st that the Greek state is obliged to give shelter and food to the people. Shortly after that a group of masked man came on the island and insisted to take the children with them, which the people refused.

Only in the morning of the 1st of April the entire group was rescued and taken to Greece by the Greek Authorities.
Last update: 22:07 Jun 03, 2022
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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