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MINISTER OF TRANSPORT SCHEUER ACCEPTS HIS DEFEAT AGAINST MARE LIBERUM

The decision against the detention of our ships is valid!

Pushing back refugees, pushing away witnesses

The Hellenic Coastguard is systematically performing brutal pushbacks to Turkey on a daily basis. Meanwhile, European states have failed to condemn these illegal practices.

Scheuer scheitert – Mare Liberum bekommt Recht

Featured, Press Release

In zweierlei Hinsicht hat das Verwaltungsgericht Hamburg Mare Liberum Recht gegeben. Am 2. Oktober 2020 verkündete das Gericht, dass die Schiffe von Mare Liberum unter der geltenden Rechtslage keine Schiffssicherheitszeugnisse benötigen.

Moria 2.0 - The reproduction of inhumanity

After years of the EU and Greece turning a blind eye, Moria refugee camp on Lesvos burned to the ground on the night of 8-9 September 2020. The underlying structures, however, remain in place and continue to reproduce the injustice elsewhere.

European Values Burned in Moria’s Fire

Co-signed statement from Europe Must Act.

How involved is Germany in illegal pushbacks in the Aegean?

To what extent are German police and Bundeswehr (german military) ships involved in practices that violate international maritime law, the Geneva Convention and applicable EU law?

COVID-19 on the smaller Greek islands

The situation in the camps on Kos and Leros is a bit different, since they are continuously “closed” camps by definition. As the camps and the islands hosting them are much smaller, there are fewer solidarity networks and very little information about the current situation.

How Greece and the EU systematically violate human rights

An overview of illegal and inhumane pushbacks in the Aegean Sea.

500 Million for Deterrence

In July 2020, the European Union granted an additional 500 million Euro to Turkey within the framework of the so-called "EU-Turkey Deal". Over 6 billion Euro have so far been paid to Turkey by the EU since the 2016 deal, whereby EU leaders persuaded the country to support them in “protecting their borders” by forcibly preventing a further influx of refugees.

Quarantine Camps - High Risk of Infection

The initial idea that COVID-19 would make everyone equal quickly was misplaced, especially on Lesvos. While race, nationality, gender, and wealth do not physically determine who is most likely to be infected with COVID-19, these factors starkly influence how comfortably and efficiently people can protect themselves from or suffer an infection with the virus.

The deadly border in the Aegean Sea

On June 29th the Turkish Coast Guard picked up a dinghy in distress. The boat had reached Greek waters before but was stopped there by the Hellenic Coast Guard. Instead of rescuing the people from the absolutely unseaworthy dinghy as it would have been their duty, the Coast Guard took away their fuel and pushed the 40 people on board back to Turkish waters.

Is Greece transforming Moria into a closed camp?

While for several weeks now pushbacks and dangerous standoffs at sea became the common practice in the Aegean to prevent migrants from reaching Greece, we witness that at the same time there are many efforts to ‘empty the island’ and push refugees to leave.

Locked down in Hell

While bars, restaurants and hotels are anxiously awaiting the first tourists, refugee camps located on the Greek islands of the Aegean Sea today went into their 4rd round of lockdown lasting until the 5th of July.

New pushback-strategy - How the Hellenic Coast Guard leaves refugees in life rafts at sea

From May 23 to 25 2020 the Turkish Coast Guard rescued a total of 101 migrants from six life rafts in the Aegean Sea.

The legalization of border violence

Systematic human rights violations have become the norm at the EU external borders. Refugees that are trying to cross into Europe are met with extrem violence from the authorities on a daily basis.

Chronology of Incidents on Lesvos

How 20.000 refugees just want to leave and conservative islanders, as well as solidary people want them to travel forward – Everybody for very different reasons.

"My country is not safe to live in"

Interview with Aziz from Afghanistan. We met Aziz in Moria. He spoke to us in German.

There is a secret war on refugees and nobody is looking

It seemed as if everybody was holding their breath in expectance of many boats to reach the Greek islands. A few arrived and then: Nothing!

Pushbacks in the Aegean reached a new level of severity

Pushback of 14 people documented who had reached the shores of Chios already.

Lesvos 2020 - A retrospective on the developments on the island over the past few months

Interview with an activists from Welcome2Europe.

Fascists coming back to the streets of Lesvos - fight fascism!

After years of being completely left alone by the EU and being pushed to its breaking point and beyond by having to carry the burden of the European migration policy, far right groups and angry locals took control of the narrative.

A month of uncertainty

Migrants on the north shore of Lesvos, Greece.

Testimony: Ilegal Pushback by the Greek Coast Guard

We have an eyewitness account of a “pushback” which describes exactly how the “border guards” proceed. The incident happend in March.

Migrants Arriving on Lesvos in State of Exception

Situation of the new arrivals on the island of Lesvos since March 1st, 2020.

Do not Test, Do not See

Whereas containment measures are being put in place on the island of Lesvos, it is surprising that nothing is done for the island's focal point, Moria refugee camp, in case of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Corona is not the problem, Moria is the problem!

When one begins to imagine the catastrophic consequences of a virus without a cure in Moria, it truly exemplifies how bad the situation already is in the camp, even without Covid-19.

4 Years EU Turkey Deal

Put a Stop to the Shame, Put a Stop to the EU Turkey deal!

Refugees Welcome! Don’t shoot!

Stop Europe's trent towards fascism!

Mare Liberum in Port!

Today, March 11t h Mare Liberum finally moored in a port! The port authorities of Mytilene provided us a place, at least for one day, where they guarantee our safety.

Strong protest against prison camps

Today and also tomorrow Lesvos and the Northern Aegean islands are on general strike as a result of the central government‘s decision to „send riot police to islands of Lesvos and Chios to impose violent transformation of new prisons in defiance of the will of islanders.”

Annual Report: The Aegean Sea, where human rights are less and less important

Mare Liberum Annual Report 2019.

Tensions on Aegean Islands culminate in nationalist General Strike

On Wednesday, 22 January 2020 Mytilene witnessed one of the biggest strikes of the island. Large buses transported people from the villages into Mytilene to take part in a demonstration.

Sentinels of the Sea: why NGOs like Mare Liberum are important now more than ever

At dawn, when the first rays of light begin to reflect on the Aegean waters, Mare Liberum’s onboard radio continues to crackle, belching out numbers, coordinates and requests for Turkish Coast Guard (TCG) intervention from the European Coast Guards (ECGs).

Who will be held responsible for these crimes at sea?

The stretch of land connecting Turkey to Europe has long been a zone of migratory transit, and historically was the main route by which early humans coming from the “fertile crescent” of the Middle East.

The sea should know this

Mare Liberum was part of the action to renew the Memorial in Korakas. Now we share some impressions about it in a Video.

This was not an accident!

They died because of Europe’s cruel deterrence and detention regime!

Is Afghanistan Europe’s Forgotten War? Not for Europe’s Afghan Refugees

The people of Afghanistan are under attack, and they have been for quite some time.

Court rejects political attack on solidarity with refugees

The human rights monitoring organisation Mare Liberum, registered in Berlin as a non-profit, is operating a 20 meter long vessel under German flag in the Aegean Sea, also called “Mare Liberum”.

Migrants keep coming to the Greek islands

Despite the EU-Turkey deal, migrants continue to set out on the dangerous route to Europe with the aim of a future worth living. According to the NGO Aegean Boat Report 2.198 migrants reached the Greek islands between August 1 and 11.

„I was like a bird in a cage looking for freedom.“

Wir haben mit einem Mann gesprochen, der vor kurzem von Lesbos in den Iraq abgeschoben wurde. Die griechische Regierung verlegte ihn vom Hotspot Camp Moria in die Türkei. Hier wurde er weiter in den Iraq gebracht.

I tried 13 times before I reached the Greek islands

Our interview partner is a Palestinian psychologist from Gaza. He left Gaza to come to Europe. Currently he lives living in the hotspot camp in Moria on Lesvos. Before he arrived on Lesvos, he was pulled back 12 times by the Turkish coast guard and once even pushed back by German Frontex.

Right wing tendencies in Chios and Greece threaten safety of refugees and activists

The island of Chios, located in the Aegean Sea, is the unforgiving ‘temporary’ home of around 2000 refugees. The vast majority of them live in Vial refugee camp, located 6.8km from Chios’ main port and town.

Alarming conditions for refugees in Samos

A team from Mare Liberum recently travelled to Samos.

Mare Liberum sets sail!

Wir sind endlich wieder zurück auf See und nun auf Beobachtungsposten an der Ostküste der griechischen Insel Lesbos, mit Sicht auf die türkische Grenze.

Life-jacket graveyard at Lesbos' North shore

In den Hügeln nahe der griechischen Stadt Molyvos vermitteln zehntausende von Rettungswesten ein Bild davon, wie Migration an der europäischen Außengrenze aussieht. Fast alle davon sind so genannte "gefälschte Rettungswesten", die in der Türkei für rund 10 Euro verkauft werden.

Mare Liberum is ready to set sail once again

Mare Liberum is monitoring human rights in the Aegean Sea by ship, and we are prepared to set sail for the second season of monitoring human rights. Our dedicated volunteers feel the urge to prevent unnecessary deaths at Europe’s maritime border.

Pushing back refugees, pushing away witnesses

The Hellenic Coastguard is systematically performing brutal pushbacks to Turkey on a daily basis. Meanwhile, European states have failed to condemn these illegal practices.

Scheuer scheitert – Mare Liberum bekommt Recht

Featured, Press Release

In zweierlei Hinsicht hat das Verwaltungsgericht Hamburg Mare Liberum Recht gegeben. Am 2. Oktober 2020 verkündete das Gericht, dass die Schiffe von Mare Liberum unter der geltenden Rechtslage keine Schiffssicherheitszeugnisse benötigen.

Moria 2.0 - The reproduction of inhumanity

After years of the EU and Greece turning a blind eye, Moria refugee camp on Lesvos burned to the ground on the night of 8-9 September 2020. The underlying structures, however, remain in place and continue to reproduce the injustice elsewhere.

Geflüchtete zurückdrängen, Zeugen vertreiben

Die Menschenrechtsorganisation Mare Liberum sieht sich der Kriminalisierung durch griechischen Behörden ausgesetzt.

Scheuer scheitert – Mare Liberum bekommt Recht

Featured, Press Release

In zweierlei Hinsicht hat das Verwaltungsgericht Hamburg Mare Liberum Recht gegeben. Am 2. Oktober 2020 verkündete das Gericht, dass die Schiffe von Mare Liberum unter der geltenden Rechtslage keine Schiffssicherheitszeugnisse benötigen.

Germany detains ships of human rights organization Mare Liberum

Today, German authorities ordered the detention of the ships "Mare Liberum" and "Sebastian K" of the non-profit association Mare Liberum e.V.

Ministry of Transport obstructs refugee relief missions

Press Statement by the organisations Mare Liberum, MISSION LIFELINE and RESQSHIP.

Europe Must Act - Open the Island Now!

Press Release, March 3rd 2020.

Mare Liberum Wins Appeal in Court

Press Release, 13th September 2019.

Mare Liberum Wins in Court

Press Release, 15th Mai 2019.

The human rights monitoring ship Mare Liberum is being prevented from leaving port

Press Release, 29th April 2019.

Mare Liberum e.V.

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Mare Liberum e.V.
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