GREECE’S DELAYED DISCLOSURE OF AN INADEQUATE AND INEFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION
Barış Büyüksu, who was a Turkish citizen, was found unconscious in a life raft by the Turkish Coast Guard together with 15 Palestinian migrants on the shores of Bodrum on 22 October 2022 and subsequently lost his life while he was waiting for an ambulance for emergency medical assistance. Witnesses confirm – and the Forensic Medicine Report prepared within the scope of an investigation conducted in Turkey corroborate – that Barış’s was killed as a result of torture he had been subjected to by Greek authorities, prior to being pushed back to Turkey.
Following a two year-long search, the family of Büyüksu and their lawyers finally received from the Greek authorities the case files related to the investigation into Büyüksu’s death. The Greek investigation concludes that there is no evidence that Büyüksu was in Greece on 21-22 October 2022. This response is predictable given both the Greek state’s blanked denial that pushbacks are taking place, and the clandestine, covert manner in which these unlawful expulsions take place. Nevertheless, this inadequate response is an incredible disappointment for Büyüksu’s family, as for all those seeking justice for the systematic border violence and attacks against migrants.
According to the case files, the Bodrum Chief Prosecutor’s Office officially requested that Greek authorities investigate the death of Büyüksu on 1 November 2022 through an official request for international cooperation, however this request did not reach the Greek Authorities officially until 7 February 2023. It was nine months later, on 1 November 2023, that the Greek Ministry of Justice ordered the Prosecutor’s Office of the Dodecanese islands (which includes Kos island) to investigate the case. Afterwards, the prosecution assigned an investigator judge on Kos Island to supervise the investigation, which was finalised and sent back to Turkish authorities on 21 August 2024. In short, the request for international collaboration in the investigation into the death of Büyüksu took almost two years to be completed.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, the investigation found no evidence of Büyüksu’s presence either on Kos island or in the sea off the coast of Kos. During the investigation, only Greek officials were questioned. Two coast guard officers who had been on duty between 21 -22 October 2022 testified that they did not find a life raft matching the description of the one that was carrying Büyüksu. At the same time, the management of the Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC) on Kos stated that no person was registered in the camp with the name of Baris Büyüksu to their establishment. Similar testimonies were given from the police station and the prison of Kos.
As only Greek authorities were questioned in this case – i.e. the very authorities suspected to be the perpetrators of the torture and killing of Büyüksu –, it is evident that the investigation was carried on with little to no will to obtain the truth or justice. Moreover, the period investigated by the Greek authorities did not include the actual period of Büyüksu’s stay on Kos island; his family testified that Baris informed them on 28.09.2022 that he was on Kos, which was no less than 23 days prior to his death. Instead the investigation only focused on two days – the 21-22 October – namely, the day of his apprehension and the day of his death. Testimonies given by Büyüksu’s family members and friends indicate that after his arrival to Kos island, he did not wish to apply for asylum, but rather to continue with his journey to seek asylum elsewhere and did not therefore register himself with Greek authorities. Büyüksu was only apprehended by civil uniformed individuals as he was trying to board a ship going to Athens on 21 October. The coast guard officers who were questioned have also given vague and contradictory testimonies:one coast guard officer testified that “he doesn’t remember a life raft as such since they rescue 3-5 boats every day”, yet following that sentence he specifies a boat that they rescued on 22 October. Above all, no remarks or questioning on apprehension, torture and pushbacks were made during the Greek investigation, although the request of the Bodrum Prosecution specifically indicated “a suspicion of illegal expulsion which should be investigated”, and included the testimonies of the migrants who were detained in the same building with Büyüksu when he was apprehended and who were forced into the same life raft with him when they were pushed back to Turkey. In short, the investigation focused simply on Büyüksu’s official presence on the island, rather than on whether he was unofficially and illegally apprehended, tortured, pushed back, and eventually killed.
As Progressive Lawyers Association and Legal Centre Lesvos lawyers, who represent the family, we understand and conclude that the authorities:
- acted incredibly slow in processing the request for international collaboration between Turkey and Greece, despite the obvious urgency and the seriousness of the criminal case at hand,
- showed an unwillingness to carry out a transparent procedure and provide due access to the victim’s family and their lawyers access to the case file.
- conducted an ineffective and inadequate investigation, which ignored the extensive and crucial evidence available in this case as well as in the general context of pushbacks and border violence from Greece, and relied entirely on the vague and contradictory testimonies of Greek officials to draw investigative conclusions..
Due to the lack of an effective investigation by the Kos Prosecutor’s Office, the lawyers of the Legal Centre Lesvos have filed a criminal complaint in Greece, calling for a thorough investigation to hold accountable those responsible for Barış’s death. We will continue our fight for justice for the torture and murder of Büyüksu.
Progressive Lawyers Association
Nergiz Aslan, nergizaslan@gmail.com (Turkish)
Legal Centre Lesvos
info@legalcentrelesvos.org
Vicky Aggelidou, vicky@legalcentrelesvos.org (Greek and English)
Ozan Mirkan Balpetek, ozan@legalcentrelesvos.org (English and Turkish)
BARIŞ BÜYÜKSU’NUN KATLİNE İLİŞKİN DAVAYA DAİR GÜNCELLEME
YUNANİSTAN’IN YETERSİZ VE ETKİSİZ BİR SORUŞTURMAYI GECİKMELİ OLARAK AÇIKLAMASI
Türkiye Cumhuriyeti yurttaşı olan Barış Büyüksu, 22 Ekim 2022 tarihinde Bodrum kıyılarında 15 Filistinli göçmenle birlikte Türkiye Sahil Güvenliği tarafından bir can salı içinde baygın halde bulunmuş ve ardından acil tıbbi yardım için ambulans beklerken hayatını kaybetmiştir. Görgü tanıkları ve Türkiye’de yürütülen soruşturma kapsamında hazırlanan Adli Tıp Raporu, Barış’ın Türkiye’ye geri itilmeden önce Yunanistan makamları tarafından maruz kaldığı işkence sonucu hayatını kaybettiğini doğrulamaktadır.
Büyüksu’nun ailesi ve avukatları, iki yıl süren arayışlarının ardından, Büyüksu’nun ölümüyle ilgili Yunanistan’da gerçekleşen soruşturmaya ilişkin dava dosyalarını nihayet Yunanistan makamlarından teslim aldı. Yunanistan’daki soruşturma, Büyüksu’nun 21-22 Ekim 2022 tarihlerinde Yunanistan’da olduğuna dair hiçbir kanıt bulunmadığı sonucuna varmıştır. Bu yanıt, hem Yunanistan Devleti’nin geri göndermelerin gerçekleştiğini kesin bir dille inkâr etmesi hem de bu hukuksuz sınır dışı işlemlerinin gizli ve örtülü bir şekilde gerçekleştirilmesi göz önünde bulundurulduğunda öngörülebilir bir yanıt. Yine de bu yetersiz yanıt, Büyüksu’nun ailesi ve göçmenlere yönelik sistematik sınır şiddeti ve saldırıları konusunda adalet arayan herkes için inanılmaz bir hayal kırıklığıdır.
Dava dosyalarına göre, Bodrum Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığı 1 Kasım 2022 tarihinde uluslararası işbirliği talebiyle Yunanistan makamlarından Büyüksu’nun ölümünün soruşturulmasını resmen talep etmiş, ancak bu talep 7 Şubat 2023 tarihine kadar Yunanistan makamlarına resmen ulaşmamıştır. Bundan dokuz ay sonra, 1 Kasım 2023 tarihinde, Yunanistan Adalet Bakanlığı Oniki Adalar Savcılığı’na (Yunanca ismiyle Kos, Türkçe ismiyle İstanköy Adası’ndan sorumlu bölge savcılığı) olayı soruşturma talimatı vermiştir. Daha sonra savcılık, soruşturmayı denetlemek üzere İstanköy Adası’nda bir soruşturma hakimi görevlendirmiş ve soruşturma 21 Ağustos 2024 tarihinde tamamlanarak Türkiye makamlarına geri gönderilmiştir. Kısacası, Büyüksu’nun ölümüne ilişkin soruşturmada uluslararası işbirliği talebinin tamamlanması neredeyse iki yıl sürmüştür.
Ayrıca, soruşturmada Büyüksu’nun ne Kos adasında ne de Kos açıklarında denizde bulunduğuna dair herhangi bir kanıt bulunamamıştır. Soruşturma sırasında sadece Yunanistanlı yetkililer sorgulanmıştır. 21-22 Ekim 2022 tarihleri arasında görevde olan iki sahil güvenlik görevlisi, Büyüksu’yu taşıyan can salının tarifine uyan bir deniz aracını bulamadıklarını ifade etmişlerdir. Aynı zamanda, Kos’taki Kapalı Kontrollü Erişim Merkezi (CCAC) yönetimi, tesislerinde Barış Büyüksu adında kayıtlı herhangi bir kişinin bulunmadığını belirtmiştir. Benzer ifadeler polis karakolundan ve Kos cezaevinden de alınmıştır.
Bu davada sorgulanan kişi ve makamların aynı zamanda Büyüksu’nun işkence görmesinin ve öldürülmesinin failleri olduğundan şüphelenildiği gözetilince, soruşturmanın hakikati veya adaleti elde etmek adına bir irade gösterilmeden yürütüldüğü açıktır. Dahası, Yunanistan makamları tarafından soruşturulan dönem, Büyüksu’nun Kos adasında kaldığı gerçek süreyi içermemektedir; ailesi, Barış’ın kendilerine 28.09.2022 tarihinde Kos’ta olduğunu bildirdiğini ifade etmiştir ki bu da ölümünden en az 23 gün öncesine denk gelmektedir. Bunun yerine soruşturma sadece iki güne – 21-22 Ekim günlerine – yani yakalandığı ve öldüğü güne odaklanmıştır. Büyüksu’nun aile üyeleri ve arkadaşları tarafından verilen ifadeler, Kos adasına varışının ardından Büyüksu’nun sığınma başvurusunda bulunmak istemediğini, bunun yerine başka bir yerde sığınma başvurusu yapmak için yolculuğuna devam etmek istediğini ve bu nedenle kendisini Yunanistan makamlarına kaydettirmediğini göstermektedir. Büyüksu, 21 Ekim’de Atina’ya giden bir gemiye binmeye çalışırken sivil üniformalı kişiler tarafından yakalanmıştır. Sorgulanan sahil güvenlik görevlileri de muğlak ve çelişkili ifadeler vermişlerdir: bir sahil güvenlik görevlisi “her gün 3-5 tekne kurtardıkları için böyle bir can salı hatırlamadığını” ifade etmiş, ancak bu cümlenin ardından 22 Ekim’de kurtardıkları bir tekneyi etraflıca tarifleyebilmiştir. Her şeyden önce, Bodrum Savcılığının talebinde özellikle “araştırılması gereken bir yasadışı geri itme şüphesi” belirtilmesine ve Büyüksu yakalandığında onunla aynı binada tutulan ve Türkiye’ye geri itildiklerinde onunla aynı cankurtaran botuna zorla bindirilen göçmenlerin ifadelerine yer verilmesine rağmen, Yunanistan’daki soruşturma sırasında yakalama, işkence ve geri itmelerle ilgili hiçbir açıklama veya sorgulama yapılmamıştır. Kısacası soruşturma, Büyüksu’nun gayri resmi ve yasadışı bir şekilde yakalanıp yakalanmadığı, işkence görüp görmediği, geri itilip itilmediği ve nihayetinde öldürülüp öldürülmediğine değil, sadece Büyüksu’nun adada resmi olarak bulunup bulunmadığına odaklanmıştır.
Aileyi temsil eden Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği ve Legal Centre Lesvos avukatları olarak kanaatimiz:
- Yetkililerin Türkiye ve Yunanistan arasındaki uluslararası işbirliği talebinin işleme konulması konusunda, söz konusu ceza davasının aciliyetine ve ciddiyetine rağmen son derece yavaş davrandığı,
- Aynı yetkililerin şeffaf bir prosedür yürütmediği ve mağdurun ailesine ve avukatlarına dava dosyasına gerekli erişimi sağlama konusunda isteksizlik gösterdiği,
- Soruşturmadan sorumlu makamların bu davada ve genel olarak Yunanistan’dan geri itmeler ve sınır şiddeti bağlamında mevcut olan kapsamlı ve önemli kanıtları göz ardı ettiği ve soruşturma sonuçlarını için tamamen Yunanistan’daki yetkililerin belirsiz ve çelişkili ifadelerine dayanan etkisiz ve yetersiz bir soruşturma yürüttüğü yönündedir.
Kos Savcılığı tarafından etkili bir soruşturma yürütülmemesi nedeniyle Legal Centre Lesvos avukatları Yunanistan’da suç duyurusunda bulunarak Barış’ın ölümünden sorumlu olanların hesap vermesi için kapsamlı bir soruşturma yapılması çağrısında bulunmuştur. Büyüksu’ya yapılan işkence ve cinayet için adalet mücadelemizi sürdüreceğiz.
Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği
Nergiz Aslan, nergizaslan@gmail.com (Turkish)
Legal Centre Lesvos
info@legalcentrelesvos.org
Vicky Aggelidou, vicky@legalcentrelesvos.org (Greek and English)
Ozan Mirkan Balpetek, ozan@legalcentrelesvos.org (English and Turkish)
ΕΝΗΜΈΡΩΣΗ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΥΠΌΘΕΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΘΑΝΆΤΟΥ ΤΟΥ BARIS BUYUKSU
Η ΚΑΘΥΣΤΕΡΗΜΈΝΗ ΑΠΟΚΆΛΥΨΗ ΑΠΌ ΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΆΔΑ ΜΙΑΣ ΑΝΕΠΑΡΚΟΎΣ ΚΑΙ ΑΝΑΠΟΤΕΛΕΣΜΑΤΙΚΉΣ ΈΡΕΥΝΑΣ
Ο Barış Büyüksu, ο οποίος ήταν Τούρκος πολίτης, βρέθηκε αναίσθητος σε μια σωσίβια λέμβο πό την τουρκική ακτοφυλακή μαζί με 15 Παλαιστίνιους μετανάστες στις ακτές του Μπόντρουμ στις 22 Οκτωβρίου 2022 και στη συνέχεια έχασε τη ζωή του ενώ περίμενε ασθενοφόρο για επείγουσα ιατρική βοήθεια. Οι μάρτυρες επιβεβαιώνουν – και η ιατροδικαστική έκθεση που εκπονήθηκε στο πλαίσιο έρευνας που διεξήχθη στην Τουρκία επίσης επιβεβαιώνει – ότι ο Barış πέθανε εξαιτίας των βασανιστηρίων στα οποία είχε υποβληθεί από τις ελληνικές αρχές, πριν επαναπροωθηθεί παράνομα πίσω στην Τουρκία .
Έπειτα από διετή αναζήτηση, η οικογένεια του Büyüksu και οι δικηγόροι της έλαβαν τελικά από τις τουρκικές τις απαντήσεις που σχετίζονται με την έρευνα στην Ελλάδα για τον θάνατο του Büyüksu. Η ελληνική έρευνα καταλήγει στο συμπέρασμα ότι δεν υπάρχουν αποδείξεις ότι ο Büyüksu βρισκόταν στην Ελλάδα στις 21-22 Οκτωβρίου 2022. Η απάντηση αυτή είναι αναμενόμενη, δεδομένης τόσο της συνεχούς άρνησης του ελληνικού κράτους ότι πραγματοποιούνται επαναπροωθήσεις, όσο και του μυστικού, συγκαλυμμένου τρόπου με τον οποίο γίνονται αυτές οι παράνομες επαναπροωθήσεις. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, αυτή η ανεπαρκής απάντηση αποτελεί απίστευτη απογοήτευση για την οικογένεια του Büyüksu, όπως και για όλους όσοι αναζητούν δικαιοσύνη για τη συστηματική βία στα σύνορα και τις επιθέσεις κατά των μεταναστών.
Σύμφωνα με τους φακέλους της υπόθεσης, η Γενική Εισαγγελία του Μπόντρουμ ζήτησε επίσημα από τις ελληνικές αρχές δικαστική συνδρομή και να ερευνήσουν τον θάνατο του Büyüksu ήδη από την 1η Νοεμβρίου 2022 μέσω επίσημου αιτήματος διεθνούς δικαστικής συνδρομής, ωστόσο το αίτημα αυτό δεν έφτασε επίσημα στις ελληνικές αρχές μέχρι τις 7 Φεβρουαρίου 2023. Ήταν εννέα μήνες αργότερα, την 1η Νοεμβρίου 2023, όταν το ελληνικό Υπουργείο Δικαιοσύνης έστειλε την υπόθεση στην Εισαγγελία Δωδεκανήσου προκειμένου να διερευνήσει την υπόθεση. Στη συνέχεια, η εισαγγελία ζήτησε σε τη διενέργεια προκαταρκτικής εξέτασης, η οποία ολοκληρώθηκε και απεστάλη στις τουρκικές αρχές στις 21 Αυγούστου 2024. Εν ολίγοις, το αίτημα για διεθνή συνεργασία στην έρευνα για τον θάνατο του Büyüksu χρειάστηκε σχεδόν δύο χρόνια για να ολοκληρωθεί.
Επιπλέον, όπως αναφέρθηκε παραπάνω, η έρευνα δεν βρήκε κανένα στοιχείο για την παρουσία του Büyüksu ούτε στο νησί της Κω ούτε στη θάλασσα ανοικτά των ακτών της Κω. Κατά τη διάρκεια της έρευνας κατέθεσαν ν μόνο Έλληνες αξιωματούχοι. Δύο αξιωματικοί του Λιμενικού Σώματος που είχαν υπηρεσία μεταξύ 21-22 Οκτωβρίου 2022 κατέθεσαν ότι δεν βρήκαν σωσίβια λέμβο που να ταιριάζει με την περιγραφή αυτής που μετέφερε τον Büyüksu. Παράλληλα, η διεύθυνση του Κέντρου Κλειστής Ελεγχόμενης Πρόσβασης (CCAC) στην Κω δήλωσε ότι κανένα άτομο δεν είχε καταγραφεί με το όνομα Baris Büyüksu στην εγκατάστασή τους. Παρόμοιες μαρτυρίες δόθηκαν από το αστυνομικό τμήμα και τη φυλακή της Κω.
Δεδομένου ότι στην υπόθεση αυτή εξετάστηκαν μόνο οι ελληνικές αρχές – δηλαδή οι ίδιες αρχές που θεωρούνται ύποπτες ως δράστες των βασανιστηρίων και της δολοφονίας του Büyük, είναι προφανές ότι η έρευνα διεξήχθη πρόχειρα με ελάχιστη έως καθόλου βούληση για την ανεύρεση της αλήθεια ή τη απόδοση δικαιοσύνη. Επιπλέον, η περίοδος που ερευνήθηκε από τις ελληνικές αρχές δεν περιλάμβανε την πραγματική περίοδο παραμονής του Büyüksu στο νησί της Κω- η οικογένειά του κατέθεσε ότι ο Μπαρίς τους ενημέρωσε στις 28.09.2022 ότι βρισκόταν στην Κω, δηλαδή σχεδόν 23 ημέρες πριν από το θάνατό του. Αντ’ αυτού, η έρευνα επικεντρώθηκε μόνο σε δύο ημέρες – την 21-22 Οκτωβρίου – δηλαδή την ημέρα της σύλληψής του και την ημέρα του θανάτου του. Οι μαρτυρίες των μελών της οικογένειας και των φίλων του Büyüksu δείχνουν ότι μετά την άφιξή του στο νησί της Κω, δεν επιθυμούσε να υποβάλει αίτηση ασύλου, αλλά να συνεχίσει το ταξίδι του για να αναζητήσει αλλού άσυλο και ως εκ τούτου δεν καταγράφηκε στις ελληνικές αρχές . Ο Büyüksu συνελήφθη από ένστολους καθώς προσπαθούσε να επιβιβαστεί σε πλοίο με προορισμό την Αθήνα στις 21 Οκτωβρίου. Οι αξιωματικοί του λιμενικού που ανακρίθηκαν έδωσαν επίσης ασαφείς και αντιφατικές μαρτυρίες:ένας αξιωματικός του λιμενικού κατέθεσε ότι “δεν θυμάται σωσίβια λέμβο ως τέτοια, αφού διασώζουν 3-5 βάρκες κάθε μέρα”, ωστόσο μετά από αυτή τη φράση προσδιορίζει μια βάρκα που διέσωσαν στις 22 . Πάνω απ’ όλα, κατά τη διάρκεια της ελληνικής έρευνας δεν έγινε καμία παρατήρηση ή ερώτηση σχετικά με τη σύλληψη, τα βασανιστήρια και τις επαναπροωθήσεις, παρόλο που το αίτημα της εισαγγελίας του Μπόντρουμ ανέφερε συγκεκριμένα “μια υποψία παράνομης απέλασης που θα πρέπει να διερευνηθεί” και περιλάμβανε τις μαρτυρίες των μεταναστών που κρατούνταν στο ίδιο κτίριο με τον Büyüksu όταν συνελήφθη και που αναγκάστηκαν να μπουν στην ίδια σωσίβια λέμβο μαζί του όταν επαναπροωθήθηκαν στην Τουρκία. Εν ολίγοις, η έρευνα επικεντρώθηκε απλώς στην επίσημη παρουσία του Büyüksu στο νησί και όχι στο αν συνελήφθη ανεπίσημα και παράνομα, βασανίστηκε, επαναπροωθήθηκε και τελικά πέθανε εξαιτίας των βασανιστηρίων.
Ως δικηγόροι του Προοδευτικού Δικηγορικού Συλλόγου και του Νομικού Κέντρου Λέσβου, που εκπροσωπούμε την οικογένεια, καταλαβαίνουμε και καταλήγουμε στο συμπέρασμα ότι οι αρχές:
- ενήργησε απίστευτα αργά στη διεκπεραίωση του αιτήματος για διεθνή συνεργασία μεταξύ της Τουρκίας και της Ελλάδας , παρά τον προφανή επείγοντα χαρακτήρα και τη σοβαρότητα της ποινικής υπόθεσης,
- έδειξε απροθυμία να διεξαγάγει μια διαφανή διαδικασία και να παράσχει τη δέουσα πρόσβαση στην οικογένεια του θύματος και στους δικηγόρους τους στον φάκελο της υπόθεσης.
- διεξήγαγε μια αναποτελεσματική και ανεπαρκή έρευνα, η οποία αγνόησε τα εκτεταμένα και κρίσιμα στοιχεία που υπήρχαν σε αυτή την περίπτωση, καθώς και στο γενικότερο πλαίσιο των επαναπροωθήσεων και της βίας στα σύνορα από την Ελλάδα, και βασίστηκε αποκλειστικά στις ασαφείς και αντιφατικές μαρτυρίες Ελλήνων αξιωματούχων για την εξαγωγή ερευνητικών συμπερασμάτων.
Εξαιτίας της έλλειψης αποτελεσματικής έρευνας από την Εισαγγελία της Κω, οι δικηγόροι του Νομικού Κέντρου Λέσβου κατέθεσαν μήνυση στην Ελλάδα, ζητώντας να διεξαχθεί ενδελεχής έρευνα για να λογοδοτήσουν οι υπεύθυνοι για τον θάνατο του Barış. Θα συνεχίσουμε τον αγώνα μας για δικαιοσύνη για τα βασανιστήρια και τη δολοφονία του Büyüksu.
Σύλλογος Προοδευτικών Δικηγόρων
chdgenelmerkez@gmail.com
Nergiz Aslan,nergizaslan@gmail.com (τουρ)
Legal Centre Lesvos
info@legalcentrelesvos.org
Βίκυ Αγγελίδου,vicky@legalcentrelesvos.org (ελληνικά και αγγλικά)
Ozan Mirkan Balpetek,ozan@legalcentrelesvos.org (αγγλικά και τουρκικά)