Sixteen Turkish dissidents, including minors, have been detained in the last 24 hours in Igoumenitsa. They were getting into sailboat and tried to escape to Italy, chased by the Erdogan regime. Two of them, who were at the helm of the vessel, were arrested as traffickers and they are to apologize today to the interrogator. The latter declare former members of the Navy of the neighbouring country and say that they were previously in Turkish prisons because of their political beliefs.
Also on board were doctors and engineers with their families, who dreamed of reaching central Europe, seeking international protection. The money to buy the sailboat, as the 16 fugitives testify, was raised jointly by all of them. The case file reveals the Turkish dissidents' anxiety to escape the Erdogan regime, five years after the failed coup d'état and the witch-hunt that has not stopped in the neighbouring country.
Port Authority who is serving in Igoumenitsa, said that there was information at the beginning of the month about an imminent transfer of migrants from the coast of Parga to Italy. On 1 September, a nine-metre sailing vessel, without flag, with the sole distinctive mark “Desire”, was found anchored in the area of Valtos. The vessel was placed under surveillance. The port officer said that only the two defendants went ashore in the auxiliary boat, carrying fuel, water and food.
On 3 September, at 6 am, the sailing vessel “Desire” set sail in a north-westerly direction towards Italy. An hour later, the coastguards made a rescue in the sea area Saracen. None of the 16 passengers had travel documents. «There was only one lifejacket and no other life-saving or fire-fighting equipment. Eight cans of fuel and several bottles of water were found on board,» the port official testified.
According to the paperwork, the owner of the sailboat was one of the two arrested operators, who were charged with the felony of trafficking. «I left Turkey because of Erdogan's political regime and my political beliefs. For this reason, I served a 27-month prison sentence,’ the former testified . »In the past I served in the Turkish Navy, I had naval knowledge and in prison I met A., who was found on the boat. He told me that he knew other compatriots who wanted to leave Turkey [...] I wanted to go to France for a better future,« he said.
He claims that because of his nautical knowledge, he did market research for the vessel. He said he bought the sailboat on 13 August in Prussia, for EUR 60 000, while it was anchored in the Marmarida. «I did an engineering check on the boat to make sure everything was in order for such a long trip. I met some of the passengers on the day of the trip,» he said.
The file shows that the Desire left Marmarida on 24 August. Six days later, it arrived at Gerolimenas Laconia. The Turkish dissidents did not intend to make any stop, but stopped because of the bad weather conditions. At dawn on September 1, they made a second forced stop in Parga and two days later, they started again, before the Igoumenitsa coastguards intervened.
The second accused was also serving in the Turkish Navy. «Because of my political beliefs and the Erdogan regime, I was in prison for four days. Since then, I have been unemployed,» he said. «For a long time I was thinking about different ways to leave Turkey and because I knew that if you take a boat, you can make it abroad, I tried it.».
The NEWS 24/7 contacted the criminal lawyer Antonis Karagiannis, who represents the two Turkish defendants. «These are people who served in the Turkish Navy, were expelled by Erdogan and imprisoned because of their political views. They were released and new prosecutions were brought against them with new charges in Turkey, again because of their political beliefs,» Karagiannis said.
«In view of their imminent imprisonment and to ensure the safety of themselves and their families, they immediately fled the country along with other colleagues who were facing the same problems. They have not committed any act that violates Greek criminal laws and therefore they should be released,» he added.
The testimonies of the other Turkish fugitives detained in Igoumenitsa reveal the same anguish. «I left Turkey because I am politically persecuted by the Erdogan regime. I wanted to go to Europe and talking with some friends who wanted to leave the country for the same reasons, we took the decision to find a boat to cross the Greek-Turkish border illegally and reach Europe,» said one of the 16, a doctor surgeon by profession.
«My profession is electrical engineering,» another passenger testified. «The reason I left Turkey is because I have problems with Erdogan's political regime. My wife and I have been arrested in the past for our beliefs. Y. is a friend of mine and we used to work together. He asked me for 10,000 euros so that we could buy a boat to go to Europe, specifically France or Belgium, for a better life.».
