On Thursday, two human rights organisations called for an independent investigation into the actions of the Greek coast guard after the June sinking of a migrant vessel off the coast of Pylos, Greece, leaving at least 82 people declared dead. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch argue that the contested series of events require a [...]
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European Ombudsman investigating EU coast guard role in Greece migrant tragedy
European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly has launched an investigation into the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) in connection with the June 14 sinking of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean that took more than 80 lives. Frontex was coordinating three maritime operations in the Mediterranean at the time. The ombudsman’s office is seeking to [...]
INTERPOL and Europol announced Monday that the organizations broke up a migrant smuggling ring that brought migrants from Cuba to the European Union (EU). 62 arrests were made in cooperation with the governments of Germany, Greece, Northern Macedonia, Spain and Serbia. The investigation into the smuggling ring began in October 2021 after several EU countries [...]
Telegraph: UK and Italy plan partnership to tackle immigration across Mediterranean
The UK and Italy have plans to create a strategic migration partnership to tackle the increasing number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, according to an exclusive report from the London Telegraph on Friday. This partnership, modeled after the current agreement between UK and France, seeks to strengthen collaboration in combating human trafficking, exchanging intelligence and [...]
The Ohrid Agreement, officially known as the Agreement on the Path to Normalization between Kosovo and Serbia, was verbally accepted by the Serbian President and Kosovar Prime Minister in March 2023, symbolizing the most significant advance in negotiations between the two nations in years. A report by the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (The Kosovar [...]
The EU agreed on Wednesday to issue their eleventh sanctions package against Russia for continuing the war in Ukraine. The new package aims to prevent countries and companies from circumventing sanctions already in effect. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the agreement and assured that the agreement will render the sanctions [...]
UN human rights official: states must confront human trafficking after migrant boat tragedy
UN Human Rights spokesperson Jeremy Laurence stated on Friday that countries need to investigate and prosecute people smugglers and human traffickers after 400 to 750 migrants were on a fishing boat that capsized 50 miles from Pylos, a southern coastal town in Greece. The disaster resulted in 78 people deceased and 104 survived, but many [...]
Greece authorities discover 79 dead after migrant boat capsized
At least 79 people have been declared dead and hundreds more are missing in what Greece is calling one of the biggest ever migrant tragedies in its waters. The boat was first spotted in distress off the coast of Pylos, Greece on Tuesday morning. The boat then capsized, causing the Greek coast guard to mount [...]
Migrant fatalities surged in 2022 with majority in the Middle East and North Africa
A UN migration agency reported Tuesday that 2022 was the deadliest year for migrants crossing from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) into Europe. According to a report from the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project, a record number of 3,800 people died along migratory routes over the past year. The report [...]
North Macedonia police arrest 10 suspected members of international people smuggling ring
The Police of North Macedonia announced Monday they arrested ten men who are suspected members of an international people smuggling ring. The arrests were the culmination of an investigation that lasted from July 2021 to May 2023. Macedonian police stated that the group is part of an international migrant smuggling channel and consists of 17 members in [...]