An investigation has revealed that Greek authorities imprisoned nine Egyptian survivors of the June 2023 Pylos shipwreck, despite significant evidence proving their innocence. These men, known as the “Pylos 9,” were falsely accused of migrant smuggling and spent over a year in jail before a court in Kalamata acquitted them and dropped the case due to lack of jurisdiction.
The Pylos shipwreck involved the Adriana, a fishing vessel carrying hundreds of migrants, which capsized 50 nautical miles southwest of Greece. While 82 deaths were officially confirmed, survivors claim that closer to 500 people perished in one of the deadliest maritime disasters in the Mediterranean. Evidence uncovered by Solomon and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ) showed that the nine Egyptians were victims of smuggling who had paid between €2,680 and €3,065 for passage.
Egyptian prosecutors identified 36 individuals as part of the smuggling network behind the Adriana, with 23 arrested and the rest fleeing to Libya. None of those identified were among the nine men imprisoned in Greece. Egyptian authorities shared their findings with Greece in July 2023, along with requests for mutual legal assistance, but Greek authorities delayed their response and ultimately refused to cooperate further, citing jurisdictional constraints.
An official delegation from Egypt visited Greece to meet the Pylos 9, alleging that Greek authorities used the accusations to shift blame away from their own handling of the shipwreck. Internal Egyptian memos suggested this was part of an effort to deflect attention from potential failures by Greek officials during the tragedy.
The Kalamata criminal court’s decision to drop the case raised suspicions about Greece’s intentions. Earlier in the trial, defense lawyers’ requests to dismiss the case on jurisdictional grounds had been rejected. Critics argue that the acquittal allowed Greek authorities to avoid a public trial, which might have exposed serious misconduct.
The release of the Pylos 9 after more than a year in jail has led to demands for accountability. Advocacy groups are calling for a thorough investigation into the case to ensure transparency and justice for the individuals involved. These groups want to make sure that the truth is fully revealed and that those responsible for the wrongful imprisonment are held accountable.