Greece has been condemned by the European Court docket of Human Rights, in a case involving the lethal 2014 taking pictures of a Syrian refugee by the Greek coast guard.
The judgment on Tuesday (16 January) by the Strasbourg-based court docket 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 had been shot, one within the head. The sufferer went right into a coma after which finally died from severe mind damage, after being granted asylum in Sweden the place his spouse and kids had been residing.
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 court docket 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 will not be efficient with the intention to ship justice to the victims of these violations,” he stated.
The Strasbourg court docket stated Greece had violated the best to life as a result of it didn’t take acceptable steps to forestall a risk to life.
And it faulted Greece over procedural obligations that require it to ship efficient and credible investigations with the intention to establish the perpetrators and convey them to justice.
”The prosecutor made numerous errors in publishing the proof and assessing the case,” stated Mouzourakis.
The home case was overseen by the Greek naval court docket prosecutor, who’s tasked into probing any misconduct by the Greek coast guard, an armed legislation enforcement physique below army organisational construction.
Greece has now been ordered to pay €80,000 to the defendants. It can additionally must take measures to deal with the inner shortfalls.
Nonetheless, the judgement isn’t but closing. The Greek aspect has three months to attraction, 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 folks died in June of final 12 months.
Related grievances had 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 happened off the Greek island of Farmakonisi in 2014.
In response to the victims, a Greek coastguard vessel capsized their boat whereas trying to push them again into Turkish waters. Elven folks died.
Greece additionally misplaced that case and was condemned for violating the best 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 related violations, suggests in any other case.
Past Safi, Greece had additionally been condemned by the Strasbourg court docket in two different circumstances, Torosian v. Greece and B.Y. v. Greece, for procedural violations in relation to ineffective investigations into ill-treatment by legislation enforcement our bodies.