World Europe News Update Alarm Phone Weekly Report 16th November – 22nd November 2015‏

Dear all,

Below and attached the weekly report of the Alarm Phone. Best wishes,
Maurice



Deadly denial of assistance in the Western Med; borders of Greece
increasingly sealed off

Alarm Phone Weekly Report 16th November – 22nd November 2015

Between Monday the 16th of November and Sunday the 22nd of November 2015
the Alarm Phone dealt with 44 cases of travellers in distress at the
European borders. In one particular case in the Western Mediterranean
Sea we witnessed a delayed rescue by the Spanish rescue organization
Salvamento Maritimo, which led to the drowning of at least 24 travellers
after a boat with 46 people on board had capsized off the coast of the
Western Sahara. As the rescue vessel had arrived at the spot prior to
the accident, why did it not act immediately but waited for almost an
hour until the boat had capsized? Later on Salvamento Maritimo
downplayed the number of travellers on board and the many missing
travellers, claiming that they had rescued all but one of them – a
statement that fundamentally contradicts the testimonies of survivors,
family members and Spanish activists
(http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/347).

In the Aegean Sea last week saw a slight decline of arrivals, with
approximately 4500 travellers reaching the Greek islands per day.[1]
This decrease reflects the increasing attempts of the EU to include
Turkey more thoroughly into its policy of deterrence. However, reports
from Lesvos indicate that there are still thousands of travellers in
Turkey willing to cross into Greece, the situation of which gets more
difficult from week to week.[2] But not only the Greek sea border is
increasingly blocked, also further north, on Wednesday the 18th of
November the border crossing point in Eidomenei at the Greek-Macedonian
border was closed for all travellers except Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis.
This desperate attempt to obstruct the freedom of movement of many led
to an unbearable situation of stuckness for thousands of travellers who
stranded at the border. However, it also fostered protests for many
days.[3] Amnesty International has rightly scandalized this racist
separation practice[4] and even the IOM, UNCHR and UNICEF resolutely
called for keeping the corridor to Central Europe open.[5] The Alarm
Phone has denounced such practices for months and recalls that only the
re-opening of Europe’s borders can stop the human suffering, degradation
and death that we have again witnessed during the past week.

Summary of cases

The Alarm Phone was alerted to 44 emergency situations at Europe’s
borders in the past week, 42 of which occurred in the Aegean Sea and 2
in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Summaries of the cases and links to
the more detailed reports on http://watchthemed.net can be found below.

Western Mediterranean Sea

On Monday the 16th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was informed about a
boat with 11 travellers on board, which had left from Tangier
Med/Morocco. As our contact person had lost contact to the boat, we
informed the Spanish rescue organization Salvamento Maritimo and tried
to reach the travellers several times, but without success. Only at the
next day we learned from another contact person that the travellers had
safely arrived in Ceuta/Spain in the night from Monday to Tuesday.
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/344

On Tuesday the 17th of November 2015 at 11.30pm the Alarm Phone was
alerted to a boat in distress with about 46 travellers on board, which
had left from Laâyoune in the Western Sahara, heading towards the Canary
Islands. We called the Spanish coastguard in Las Palmas, who stated that
they were already informed about this boat and were looking for it. At
the next morning we learned that the boat had capsized and that only 22
travellers had been rescued, while 24 were missing. In the afternoon,
Spanish media started to report about the capsized boat. It is highly
questionable, why so many travellers had to die, why the coastguard was
not able to rescue all of them and if it has delayed the
rescue.http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/347

Aegean Sea

On Monday the 16th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 9
groups of travellers in distress in the Aegean Sea. Two groups went back
to Turkey independently or were rescued and returned by the Turkish
coastguard. The Greek coastguard and Greek fishing vessels rescued 6
boats, while one group was rescued after stranding on the Greek island
of Kastellorizo. http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/345

On Tuesday the 17th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone dealt with 7 cases
of distress in the Aegean Sea, near the Greek islands of Strongyli,
Pasas Nisida, Lesvos and Farmakonisi. Three groups had stranded on Greek
island but were rescued and transferred to bigger islands afterwards.
One group of travellers finally arrived on Lesvos independently, while
two boats were rescued by the Greek coastguard and one by the Turkish
coastguard. http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/346

On Wednesday the 18th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 5
boats in distress near the Greek islands of Strongyli, Chios and Lesvos.
In all of the cases the travellers finally reached the Greek islands,
either by themselves or with the help of the Greek coastguard.
http://watchthemed.net/index.php/reports/view/348

On Thursday the 19th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 8
groups in distress in the Aegean Sea. Three boats in distress near the
Greek islands of Lesvos and Kos were rescued either by the Greek or by
the Turkish coastguard. 4 groups of travellers who had stranded on the
Greek islands of Kastellorizo, Nera and Strongyli were finally picked up
from these islands. Beyond that, the Alarm Phone supported a group of
travellers who got lost in a forest near the Turkish coast in the middle
of the night. http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/349

On Friday the 20th of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was alerted to 6
boats in distress near the Greek islands of Lesvos, Farmakonisi, Chios
and Samos. All groups of travellers were rescued afterwards. 5 groups
finally arrived in Greece while the Turkish coastguard rescued one
group, who had been beforehand attacked by a group of masked men, most
probably belonging to the coastguard, who took away their engine. Beyond
that, two groups who had stranded on the Greek island of Nisida Pasas
were picked up after the Alarm Phone had alerted the port authorities on
the Greek island of Chios. http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/350

On Saturday the 21st of November 2015 the Alarm Phone was in contact
with 4 groups of travellers who had stranded on the Greek islands of
Tilos, Strongyli, Ro and Kastellorizo. Due to bad weather conditions all
four groups could only be rescued on the following day. Beyond that, the
Alarm Phone was alerted to a boat in distress north-east of Samos, which
was later rescued by the Turkish coastguard.
http://watchthemed.net/reports/view/351

[1] http://data.unhcr.org/mediterranean/download.php?id=171

[2]
http://balkanroute.bordermonitoring.eu/2015/11/26/the-empty-cage-lesbos-arrivals-turkish-smugglers-and-eu-migration-politics/

[3] http://bordermonitoring.eu/liveticker/2015/11/live-ticker-eidomeni/

[4]
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/11/refugee-crisis-balkans-border-blocks-leave-thousands-segregated-and-stranded-in-greece/

[5]
http://www.iom.int/news/iom-unhcr-unicef-joint-statement-new-border-restrictions-balkans