ATHENS: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch on Thursday called for a “credible” probe into a migrant shipwreck off Greece in June in which hundreds died, saying that contrasting accounts by the Greek coastguard and survivors “were extremely concerning”.

The overcrowded fishing trawler said to be carrying between 400-750 people from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt sank in international waters off Greece on its way to Italy from Libya. Some 104 men survived and authorities recovered only 82 bodies.

Survivors have recounted a doomed attempt by the Greek coast guard to tow the trawler that caused the vessel to capsize, according to interviews and evidence.

The Greek coastguard and government have said no attempt was made to tow the boat and that it overturned when the coastguard was about 70 metres away. Greek judicial authorities have launched an investigation into the causes of the disaster which could take more than a year. The acts of the coast guard are also under investigation.

In a joint statement, Amnesty and HRW said they interviewed 19 survivors, four relatives of the missing as well as nongovernmental organisations, UN agencies and representatives of the Greek coast guard and police during a visit to Greece between July 4-13.

“Survivors interviewed by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch consistently stated that the Hellenic Coast Guard vessel dispatched to the scene attached a rope to the Adriana and started towing, causing it to sway and then capsize,” they said.

Judith Sunderland, Associate Europe and Central Asia Director at HRW, said the disparities between survivors’ accounts and the authorities’ version were “extremely concerning.” Both groups called for “a full and credible investigation into the shipwreck… to clarify any responsibility for both the sinking of the ship and delays or shortcomings in the rescue efforts that may have contributed to the appalling loss of life.”

Rescue missions

Humanitarian operations to rescue migrants attempting the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea do not encourage further crossings, a modelling study said on Thursday.

The finding contradicts claims that charity-run ships which find and save migrants in the Mediterranean incentivise people to risk their lives trying to get to the European Union.

Instead, migrants are driven to make the perilous voyage by intensifying conflict, natural disasters or economic hardship in their country of origin, according to the study.

More than 20,000 migrants have died trying to cross the central Mediterranean route from North Africa to Italy since 2014, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

A range of charity-run ships have been working to rescue migrants, who are often on rickety boats, from drowning in the Mediterranean.

Recent Italian governments, including that of current far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have sought to block or impound the rescue ships, saying they encourage migrants to attempt the crossing — and boost the fortunes of people smugglers.

However, the new study published in Scientific Reports found no evidence of this so-called “pull factor”, said co-author Ramona Rischke of the German Centre for Integration and Migration Research.

“This suggests that search-and-rescue operations first and foremost save lives and do not attract migration,” she told journalists.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2023