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Greece has been condemned by the European Court docket of Human Rights, in a case involving the lethal 2014 capturing of a Syrian refugee by the Greek coast guard.
The judgment on Tuesday (16 January) by the Strasbourg-based courtroom adopted an virtually decade-old incident the place the Greek coast guard fired 13 bullets right into a motor of a refugee boat in an effort to cease it.
Two of the 14 passengers on the boat have been shot, one within the head. The sufferer went right into a coma after which finally died from critical mind harm, after being granted asylum in Sweden the place his spouse and kids have been dwelling.
Greece had by then launched a felony investigation into the coast guard however which was later stymied by the lack of proof.
The case was argued in courtroom by the Greek-based Refugee Assist Aegean (RSA) and Professional-Asyl, a Germany-based NGO.
Minos Mouzourakis, a authorized officer at RSA, stated the case demonstrates “systemic deficiencies” in the best way the Greek coast guard carries out its duties, in addition to how the Greek justice system handles them.
“It exhibits but once more that the investigations should not efficient with a view to ship justice to the victims of these violations,” he stated.
The Strasbourg courtroom stated Greece had violated the proper to life as a result of it didn’t take applicable steps to forestall a menace to life.
And it faulted Greece over procedural obligations that require it to ship efficient and credible investigations with a view to establish the perpetrators and produce them to justice.
“The prosecutor made a variety of errors in publishing the proof and assessing the case,” stated Mouzourakis.
The home case was overseen by the Greek naval courtroom prosecutor, who’s tasked into probing any misconduct by the Greek coast guard, an armed regulation enforcement physique underneath army organisational construction.
Greece has now been ordered to pay €80,000 to the defendants. It is going to additionally must take measures to deal with the inner shortfalls.
Nonetheless, the judgement isn’t but remaining. The Greek facet has three months to enchantment, ought to they so select.
Historical past repeats itself
However this case isn’t a primary for Greece, and follows quite a few allegations of a justice system unable or unwilling to conduct correct probes.
Each Amnesty Worldwide and Human Rights Watch in December stated Greece had but to make any credible probe into the Pylos shipwreck the place over 600 individuals died in June of final yr.
Related grievances have been additionally highlighted two years in the past by the European Court docket of Human Rights within the Safi v. Greece judgment case.
The Safi case condemned Athens for a lethal shipwreck that befell off the Greek island of Farmakonisi in 2014.
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In accordance with the victims, a Greek coastguard vessel capsized their boat whereas making an attempt to push them again into Turkish waters. Elven individuals died.
Greece additionally misplaced that case and was condemned for violating the proper to life, together with a failure to hold out an efficient investigation into the sinking.
On the time, Greece maintained it was an remoted incident. However the newest judgement on Tuesday, which spans comparable violations, suggests in any other case.
Past Safi, Greece had additionally been condemned by the Strasbourg courtroom in two different instances, Torosian v. Greece and B.Y. v. Greece, for procedural violations with regards to ineffective investigations into ill-treatment by regulation enforcement our bodies.
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