Four senior figures in the Greek coastguard, including its current commander, are to face criminal prosecution for negligent manslaughter in connection with a 2023 migrant boat disaster in which up to 650 people are thought to have drowned.
The fishing boat Adriana went down off the Greek coast near Pylos. Survivors reported to the BBC that the vessel capsized following a mishandled towing attempt by the coastguards.
Despite consistent denials of wrongdoing from Greek authorities regarding the incident, a prosecutor at the naval appeal court in Piraeus has suggested that Vice Adm Tryfon Kontizas and three other senior officers should be tried for their roles.
The charges include manslaughter by negligence in international waters but within Greece's rescue zone and failing in their legal obligations to rescue people, resulting in deaths.
The Adriana departed from Libya heading for Italy in June 2023 and was tracked by a Greek patrol vessel for about 15 hours before it sank. Some of the 104 survivors indicated that a coastguard vessel's aggressive towing caused the fishing boat to capsized.
Although 82 bodies have been recovered, many more are believed missing and presumed dead.
Earlier this year, the maritime court in Piraeus ruled against charges for Tryfon Kontizas and three other senior officials despite their involvement in the incident. This decision was then contested by lawyers representing survivors and victims' families.
The Greek government has long claimed that it respects human rights, noting that it has rescued over 250,000 people at sea in the last decade.
