The Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE) is working on fact-checking information and reconstructing the story and events in the tragedy of the capsizing of a boat carrying migrants off the Greek coast.
The RPE publishes the second report in the series “Capsizing of a Boat off the Greek Coast, Fact-Checking Information and Reconstructing the Story and Events,” titled “Cair’s Response to the Disaster.” The report includes the timeline of the Egyptian government’s response to the disaster through its various official entities and its portrayal of the victims and treatment of the families of the missing. This is achieved through tracking official statements and data, and hearing families’ testimonies on this aspect of the tragedy.
*The verified information in this report is related to the Egyptian government’s response to the disaster, updated as of the evening of June 22, 2023.
Preliminary testimonies indicate that many of the missing passengers in the catastrophe of the capsizing of a boat off the Greek coast, which was reportedly carrying 700-750 passengers, were Egyptians, including children. The Egyptian passengers’ families alongside activists launched several campaigns urging the Egyptian government to intervene. Moreover, the Greek authorities declared three days of mourning nationwide while a wave of protests erupted in Greece and several European cities condemning the tragedy, holding the Hellenic coast guard responsible, and accusing European policies of killing migrants.
However, the first official Egyptian response came on June 17, three days after the capsizing of the boat. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement in which it extended its condolences to the victims’ families and condemned what is described as “migration-organizing-gangs: which continue to exploit those who are looking to improve their life and work conditions.”
The statement also stressed that the Egyptian government is taking decisive measures against “illegal migration,” clarifying that this is done through “strict penal measures and security procedures to control the borders.” However, the statement did not provide any information regarding the necessary procedures for the families to follow or the measures taken by the Egyptian authorities towards a joint investigation with the Greek authorities into the capsizing of the boat.
Testimonies of families and survivors who have spoken with the RPE indicate that the Egyptian Embassy in Athens and its staff did not provide any support following the announcement of the capsizing of the boat and up until now. Additionally, none of the Egyptian diplomats in Athens have visited the injured or the detained.
Furthermore, the embassy has not announced any channels of communication for the families of the missing individuals, survivors, or the injured to get in touch with them, despite the continuous pleads from the families of the boat passengers to the Egyptian authorities, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Emigration, and the Egyptian Embassy in Athens for swift intervention.
The Egyptian Ministry of Emigration also issued a statement offering condolences to the victims of the incident. The ministry said it is coordinating with the relevant authorities to determine the names of the survivors and their status. The statement also added that the total of Egyptian survivors is 43 (5 minors and 38 adults), with ages ranging between 20-40 years old, all male. Moreover, it states that 8 Egyptians have been arrested and are being interrogated on suspicion of “organizing illegal migration, causing the deaths of the victims, and belonging to an organized crime organization.”
The statement did not mention the appointment of lawyers affiliated with the Egyptian government or any other means of monitoring the status of the accused or survivors. Moreover, none of the statements disclosed any special measures regarding tracing the missing persons or identifying the victims, nor did they outline the steps that the families of the missing should take to officially report the disappearance of their loved ones.
Earlier on Friday, June 16, Deputy Sahar Ottman held a meeting with the families of migrants who were aboard the sunken boat inside her office in Al-Sharqia Governorate to learn their requests and follow up on procedures with them.
Meanwhile, ِِِAmbassador Soha Gendi, Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs Abroad, stated in a call-in with the «Ala Mas’oulity على مسئوليتي» TV program, hosted by the Egyptian journalist Ahmed Moussa, on the “Sadda El Balad صدى البلد” channel on Sunday evening, June 18, that the Egyptian survivors (numbering 43 individuals) are currently in a refugee camp in Greece. She added that they do not wish to return to Egypt and are attempting to continue their experiment and adventure there, describing this adventure as “uncalculated,” holding the migrants and their families accountable for their drowning.
After continuous pleas from the families to search for the missing individuals and announce procedures regarding the victims and the injured, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement issued on June 19, 2023 the establishment of a specialized committee to monitor the repercussions of the shipwreck. The committee is to coordinate with the Egyptian Embassy in Athens and relevant Greek authorities to identify the bodies of the victims and obtain information regarding the identities of the missing individuals.
Furthermore, the statement announced that the families of the victims and the missing would be received at the Foreign Office of Ratifications in Lazoghly, Garden City, Cairo, where they would be provided with guidance on the necessary procedures. It also provided phone numbers for contacting the committee: 0227923060 / 022795305/ 0227923050
Since the evening of June 19, the RPE has documented several cases of summoning the families of the missing passengers by the mayors of villages in Al-Sharqia and Menoufia governorates and security services in police stations in the same governorates.
They were asked to provide information on their children, whether they knew about their migration, how it happened, and the facilitators of this process. However, the authorities did not provide them with any information on the upcoming procedures regarding the search for the missing and identifying the bodies.
After continuous appeals from some of the families of the missing via social media, and according to the families’ testimonies, the committee established by decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs started contacting some families today to document the data of their missing relatives and inform them of the date for the DNA testing.
Furthermore, some families announced that the committee had contacted them and given them appointments for the following day, while others stated on social media that they had provided DNA samples today at the Forensic Medicine Authority located in 5 Byram Al Tunsi street in El Sayeda Zeinab in central Cairo. They clarified to other families that the authority operates from 9 am till 5 pm. Other families say that they have contacted the committee through the phone numbers provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs only to be told to try calling again on Saturday, explaining to the callers that their names are yet to appear on the committee’s “system.”
