Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 12th of January 2023

Case name: 2023_01_12-Eastern Med - 006

Situation: 32 People brought to Farmakonisi, later tranferred to Leros camp

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Eastern Med

Summary of the Case:
In the afternoon of the 12th of January, the Alarm Phone was alerted by a journalist to a group of 32 people who had been brought to Farmakonisi by the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG). We contacted the people, among which were 4 pregnant women and a three week old baby. They told us that they were dropped off in a military camp by the HCG, who threatened and attacked them. They wanted to apply for asylum in Greece. They also sent us footage of a vessel of the HCG, the ΛΣ608, that approached the people when they were still at sea. We immediately informed all relevant authorities and NGOs. When we called JRCC Pireaus, they first claimed not to know anything about the incident and then hung up the phone the second time we attempted to reach them. We published the case on Twitter. In the night we were informed by the Leros port authority that group was transferred to the camp on Leros island.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1613568190696529921