GERMANY delivered a devastating blow today to a human rights organisation operating in the Aegean Sea by ordering the detention of its ships.

Not-for-profit association Mare Liberum told the German Transport Ministry last week that it intended to send its ships, the Mare Liberum and Sebastian K, to the Aegean and resume monitoring the Greek and Turkish coastguard’s treatment of refugees, despite a recent change in the law designed to stop them.

“We are furious and won’t accept the blockade of our mission for solidarity and human rights,” said Mare Liberum board member Hanno Bruchmann.

“Now that our ships are officially detained, we will immediately press for an accelerated response to repeal the detention.

“The German Federal Minister of Transport, Andreas Scheuer, deliberately prevents humanitarian operations with the change of law in the regulation on ship safety.

“It violates higher-ranking German law and will not last.”

Human rights and refugee support groups, as well as the migrants themselves, have repeatedly accused the Greek coastguard of systematically pushing people back into Turkish waters.

According to Aegean Boat Report, a Norwegian NGO monitoring refugee crossings between Turkey and Greece, 34 people were pushed back to Turkey from Lesbos by the Greek coastguard this morning.

“They told us that the Greek coastguard stopped them, cut their petrol hose and left them drifting,” Aegean Boat Report said in a social media posting.  

“Greek and Turkish coastguards [were] in the area but did not help. [The refugees] drifted for hours until Turkish coastguards picked them up.”