4 senior figures within the Greek coastguard, together with its present commander, are to face felony prosecution for negligent manslaughter in reference to a 2023 migrant boat catastrophe during which as much as 650 persons are thought to have drowned.
The fishing boat Adriana went down off the Greek coast close to Pylos. Survivors advised the BBC that the vessel capsized after coastguards made a botched try and tow it.
Greek authorities have all the time denied any wrongdoing over the shipwreck.
Now a prosecutor on the naval attraction courtroom in Piraeus has advisable that the present head of the Hellenic coastguard, Vice Adm Tryfon Kontizas, and three different senior officers ought to go on trial.
Among the many prices cited by the courtroom of attraction are manslaughter by negligence in worldwide waters however inside Greece’s rescue zone, publicity by negligence with a authorized obligation to rescue people who resulted in demise and repeated publicity by omission of different individuals to hazard.
The Adriana had left Libya for Italy in June 2023 and was monitored by a Greek patrol vessel for some 15 hours off Pylos earlier than it went down. A few of the 104 survivors later revealed {that a} coastguard vessel had induced the boat to sink by towing the boat away too quick when the boat was unbalanced.
Though solely 82 our bodies have been recovered, a whole bunch extra persons are believed to have died.
Prosecutors on the maritime courtroom in Piraeus determined earlier this yr that 17 members of the Greek coastguard ought to face prices, together with the captain of the coastguard ship, the-then head of the coastguard Vice Adm Giorgos Alexandrakis and the supervisor of the nationwide search and rescue centre.
Nonetheless, they cleared Tryfon Kontizas and three different senior officers of blame. Vice Adm Kontizas had been appointed coastguard chief just a few weeks earlier than the courtroom’s choice.
That call to not prosecute the 4 officers was then challenged by attorneys for survivors and family of the victims.
Greece has all the time maintained it totally respects human rights and has rescued greater than 250,000 individuals at sea previously decade.
