Report Launching by CLDH Lebanon: Statement from the Families of the Missing Boat Victims and the “Justice for the Boat Victims” Campaign 

Statement from the Families of the Missing Boat Victims and the “Justice for the Boat Victims” Campaign 

We, the Campaign of Justice for the Boat Victims and the families of the missing victims are addressing you to highlight the significant tragedy and the tragedy of the survivors of the boat sinking near the Greek coast on Wednesday, June 14th, 2023, and to ask for your help and support to urgently respond to our demands. 

Day by day, we witness the suffering of the survivors and the families of the missing and the insufficient response of the Greek authorities, the international community, and local and international NGOs. 

We observe with great concern the investigative reports indicating the Greek authorities' lack of cooperation and lack of transparency in the ongoing investigations, which give the impression of a cover-up and a violation of human rights and principles of justice. Moreover, we express our empathy with the survivors, as they are the only witnesses to this tragic accident, which is the largest one in the Mediterranean. The accident was further exacerbated by the Greek Coast Guard’s failure to rescue the victims for several hours and then wrongfully towing the boat, which led to the death, drowning, and loss of more than 500 victims, in addition to the survivors’ critical humanitarian situation and the horrible living and health conditions in their places of detention. 

We also express our deep sadness and frustration caused by the Greek authorities' refusal to deliver the dead bodies of our relatives and loved ones to carry out the burial and mourning ceremonies.  It should be highlighted that Syrians living outside of Syria were able to travel to Greece to identify the bodies of loved ones and provide DNA samples – whereas the rest of the Syrian population, residing in Syria, were unable to do so as travel is almost impossible. Therefore, they are deprived of their right to provide DNA samples to identify the bodies.  

We would also like to inform you that the Greek authorities are informing the families to contact the Syrian embassy in Athens in order to receive the bodies, which is dangerous and illogical, especially since the Syrian regime is primarily responsible for this tragedy due to its policies of intimidation and brutality, which force Syrians to flee the country by any means. Additionally, the Greek authorities are exerting intense psychological pressure on the survivors to seek asylum in Greece or be deported to Syria or Libya. 

Based on the above, we demand: 

Mobilization and advocacy by all Syrian and international activists, civil society organizations, media professionals, human rights defenders, lawyers, medical crews, and humanitarian organizations to fulfill their duties in providing assistance, support, documentation and exerting pressure on the international community, specifically the European Union and the Greek authorities, to reach the following: 

■ Coordinating and holding meetings with international actors to take the necessary measures to ensure the protection of survivors and the proper delivery of the dead bodies. 

■ Urging the Greek authorities to allow competent international organizations to carry out their work regarding DNA samples, the matching process, the search for missing persons, and the retrieval of the bodies of drowned persons. 

■ Urging the Greek authorities to allow workers in the field of human rights, documentation, and media to safely enter Greece and carry out their work in monitoring, documenting, and covering the incident.  

■ Urging the Greek authorities and the governments of asylum countries to allow refugee families residing in asylum states to bring relatives who have survived to their country of residence and provide visa documents accordingly.  

■Cooperation between European civil society organizations to draw focus on the tragedy, organizing protests and starting the search for missing people. This will serve in showcasing the fact that Syria is still a politically unstable country with no imminent solution to its cause – which is the main factor pushing Syrians to flee the country or neighboring countries in hazardous conditions.  

■ Cooperation with the proper international mechanisms to start the necessary investigations on the incident and support the families to legally achieve justice and accountability. 

In conclusion, we would like to express our deep disappointment at your lack of response to our call. We count on you to make our voices heard, carry our message, and support our cause.  

Justice for the Boat Victims Campaign  

4.7.2023