Questions are raised by the case with the 35 illegal immigrants found in Antikythera on the evening of Sunday 4 July 2021. Information reaching the Kythera.News, yesterday Monday, report that on the same night they found Coast Guard forces on the island with the obvious purpose of identifying and arresting the migrants - refugees.
In our communication yesterday with the Neapolis Voies Port Authority, the Coast Guard Outpost Diakofti Kythera but also the press office of the Headquarters of the Coast Guard, we reported the incident and the information we had, however none of the authorities reported to us that they knew anything.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that there has been operation to find the migrants as many of them were scattered or hiding in various areas on the island. Always according to the same information, the migrants were found on the island, after an approach with a boat. in the area Stavroto, on the east coast of Antikythera, coming from Turkey. Finally, after noon on Monday, 35 migrants boarded a coast guard boat that was at the port of Antikythera to pick them up.
We contacted the local port authorities again today, Tuesday 6 July, but no one was available to respond to the incident and give us more information.
After all we have searched for information on this, there are serious questions that need to be answered:
Why are the port authorities not responding to us about the incident? What purpose does this peculiar «blackout» of information by the Official Authorities of the State serve? What will be the fate of these people who were arrested? Is this tactic part of a silencing of the issue of migratory flows as part of Operation Tranquil Summer?;
And one last question of particular local interest: Does the Mayor of Kythera know or not about this serious issue? Was he or was he not in Antikythera on Sunday 4 and Monday 5 July?; We tried to communicate with him in every possible way, but communication was impossible. It is strange that the authorities are avoiding responding to the media on a matter that is very serious in every respect. We will wait for answers.
