A naval court in Greece has formally charged 17 coastguards in connection with the deadliest migrant boat disaster to hit the Mediterranean in the last ten years.
Up to 650 people are feared to have drowned when the overcrowded fishing vessel Adriana sank near Pylos, off the Greek coast, in the early hours of June 14, 2023.
Survivors told the BBC that Greek coastguards caused their boat to capsize during a failed towing attempt and then intimidated witnesses into silence.
“It took us two years just to see these charges brought, despite numerous eyewitnesses,” one survivor said on Monday.
Greek authorities have consistently denied these accusations.
Among those charged is the captain of the coastguard ship LS-920, who faces criminal charges including “causing a shipwreck,” responsible for at least 82 deaths — the number of bodies recovered — though up to 500 additional people, including women and children below deck, are believed to have perished.
The tragedy occurred in international waters within Greece’s rescue zone.
Four other officials, including the former Chief of the Coast Guard and the head of the National Search and Rescue Coordination Centre in Piraeus, are charged with “exposing others to danger.”
The LS-920 captain also faces charges of “dangerous interference with maritime transport” and “failure to provide assistance” to the migrant boat.
The ship’s crew face “simple complicity” charges related to the captain’s alleged acts.
A coastguard vessel had been tracking the Adriana for 15 hours before it sank.
The boat had departed Libya with an estimated 750 people aboard, of whom only 104 survived.
Investigations by the BBC have challenged the official Greek account, including shipping data and survivor testimonies claiming the coastguard caused the sinking and suppressed witness statements.
Earlier, nine Egyptians accused in connection with the incident were cleared amid claims they were scapegoated.
Newly released audio recordings also question the official version.
Syrian survivors, whose names have been changed for protection, described paying thousands of dollars to board the boat and recounted how the coastguard’s towing caused the vessel to flip.
They also alleged that Greek authorities pressured survivors not to speak about the incident after arriving in Kalamata port.
One survivor expressed feeling vindicated by the charges but remains skeptical about the Greek justice system’s reliability.
Legal representatives of the victims welcomed the charges as an important step toward justice.
The 17 charged coastguards will be questioned in the coming weeks, after which the court will decide whether to proceed to trial.
It is unclear what penalties they may face if convicted.
Greece has stated that its Coast Guard respects human rights and has rescued over 250,000 people at sea over the past decade.
