30/08: 105 people arrived at Milos beach

31.08.2021 / 20:57 / Aegean Sea

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 30th of August 2021

Case name: 20210830-AEG813

Situation: A tourist informed us about 150 people that were taken into police detention in Milos after their arrival at the beach

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: Aegean Sea

Summary of the Case:

On the 30th of August we were called at 10:00 CEST by a tourist on the beach of Milos. She informed us she had witnessed people swimming from a boat to the coast, about 100 men were huddled on the beach. They were intercepted by the police in groups of ten and brought to a parking lot. At 12:03 the tourist informs us that the rest of the people on the boat had been rescued by a Greek boat driver. We informed the Greek authorities via email and reminded them that pushbacks are illegal. The tourist stayed with the group the whole time and tried to find people who could also witness the situation. Later that day we were told that the people were taken to police detention and were covid tested, so we assumed that no pushback was planned.

Twitter timeline:

https://twitter.com/alarm_phone/status/1432743779325333509

Last update: 21:04 Oct 11, 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