Distress Call at Sea On Friday, 12 September, at 22:40, Aegean Boat Report was alerted to a sailboat in distress approximately 14 nautical miles southwest of the Greek island of Tilos. According to passengers, the vessel was carrying around 80 people, including many children. The sailboat had lost engine power, was taking in water, andContinue reading “Sailboat In Distress In Greek Waters, 74 People Pushed Back In Life Rafts”
Category Archives: Blog
Abandoned at Sea: Palestinians Forced Back from Greece In Life Raft
On Saturday, September 6, just after midnight, Aegean Boat Report was contacted by several people after they had arrived on the Greek island of Farmakonisi. Farmakonisi is a Greek military outpost in the Aegean Sea. Besides the military base, there are no inhabitants on the island. Since the island lies close to Turkey, people attemptingContinue reading “Abandoned at Sea: Palestinians Forced Back from Greece In Life Raft”
Lives at Risk: 77 People, Including 21 Children, Towed for Hours in Dangerous Pushback
On Thursday, 28 August, at 20:30, Aegean Boat Report was informed about a sailboat in distress approximately 6.3 nautical miles southeast of the Greek island of Tilos. According to the people onboard, 77 individuals, including 21 small children, were crammed onto the heavily overloaded vessel. The sailboat was drifting and in urgent need of rescue.Continue reading “Lives at Risk: 77 People, Including 21 Children, Towed for Hours in Dangerous Pushback”
Silencing the Watchdogs: Greece Escalates Its Crackdown on NGOs and Human Rights Defenders
For years, Greek authorities have carried out a systematic campaign to intimidate, criminalise, and silence those who expose human rights violations, illegal pushbacks, and the ill-treatment of vulnerable people at Europe’s maritime borders. Aegean Boat Report, along with other frontline defenders, has been deliberately targeted: This is no coincidence. It is a calculated government strategyContinue reading “Silencing the Watchdogs: Greece Escalates Its Crackdown on NGOs and Human Rights Defenders”
Greek Coast Guard Performed Dangerous Towing In New Pushback, 96 People Onboard
Before midnight on May 25th, Aegean Boat Report was contacted by passengers onboard a drifting vessel only 1.5 km from the southeastern shore of the Greek island of Nisyros. People onboard informed us that the boat was drifting due to a malfunctioning engine, and that there were 100 passengers onboard, over 30 of them smallContinue reading “Greek Coast Guard Performed Dangerous Towing In New Pushback, 96 People Onboard”
Small Children Abandoned At Sea By The Greek Coast Guard
In the morning of Thursday May 1, a boat in distress north of Samos, inside Greek territory waters, contacted Aegean Boat Report and asked for assistance. They explained that they were on the way to Samos, but were brutally stopped by a vessel from the Greek coast guard. Masked men on the coast guard vesselContinue reading “Small Children Abandoned At Sea By The Greek Coast Guard”
Small Children Left Drifting At Sea By The Greek Coast Guard
Just after midnight, on Saturday April 5, Aegean Boat Report was contacted by a group of 24 people, 10 of them small children, and a cat, who a few hours earlier had arrived on the Greek island of Kastellorizo. The group reported being wet and could and stated “please we need help urgently, it’s darkContinue reading “Small Children Left Drifting At Sea By The Greek Coast Guard”
Sharp increases in arrests of what Greek authorities call “Migrant Smugglers”.
Since the start of 2024, 228 people have been arrested under suspicion of being ‘people smugglers’, a 53% increase compared to 2023, according to Hellenic Coast Guard official data. If the people arrested had in fact been real hardcore smugglers, criminals whose only goal was to make money on others misery, I guess most ofContinue reading “Sharp increases in arrests of what Greek authorities call “Migrant Smugglers”.”
Frontex Found Guilty Again Of Pushbacks From Greece
The EU’s official ‘border agency’ Frontex has once again been proven to have taken part in illegal pushbacks in Greece. A newly released Serious Incident Report (SIR) by Frontex’ own Fundamental Rights Office, details a pushback performed in February by the Greek coast guard, assisted by Bulgarian Frontex, outside Lesvos. In previous cases where FrontexContinue reading “Frontex Found Guilty Again Of Pushbacks From Greece”
Greece’s ‘Coastguard’ Firing On Civilians
This summer, the Greek Coastguard has escalated its illegal and vicious violence against people travelling to seek safety, by opening fire on boats carrying men, women and children, including shooting one man dead. How much more has to happen, and for how long, before the EU pays attention, and takes action against this horrifying practice? Continue reading “Greece’s ‘Coastguard’ Firing On Civilians”