A 68-year-old Syrian refugee, who now resides in Sweden, has appealed before the Three-Member Administrative Court of Rhodes for damages against the Greek State.

The refugee demands in a lawsuit demands the Greek state pay him 100,000 euros in damages for an unlawful and unjustified shooting by a Port Authority officer of the island of Kalymnos during a boat-tracking operation on 22 September 2014 on the island of Pserimos which resulted in his serious injury and permanent disability.

During a search operation by Greek port authorities in 2014 between the islands of Pserimos and Kalymnos, which resulted in the blocking of a human trafficking vessel carrying 12 illegal immigrants and refugees, and the two Turkish traffickers, two people on the boat and a Greek officer were injured during and exchange of fire.

According to the coast guards’ report involved in the incident at the time, following a chase in which the traffickers’ vessel attempted on two occasions to ram and sink the coast guard dinghy, the officers managed to neutralise the boat only after initially firing warning shots in the air, as per the rules of engagement and standard procedures, and eventually aiming at the boat’s engine.