Author: ekathimerini.com | 9 November 2018
Retired British judge Catriona Jarvis remembers getting a phone call from friends who were holidaying on the Greek island of Icaria in 2014, asking for help when the body of a young man washed up on the beach where they were having a meal at a taverna.
“They asked me if I could find out who he was, and I set to it,” she tells Kathimerini. “With the help of a Greek activist who worked with the families of missing refugees and two medical examiners, we were able, despite the obstacles, to identify him and also get in touch with his family, who requested that his body be sent back home. That wasn’t possible, but at least they know that he is buried in Komotini. It is a great relief.”
The young man was 22, from Syria.
After a more than 20-year career dedicated to human rights and global migration issues, Jarvis explains how she decided to dedicate her retirement to what happens when someone dies or goes missing on the migration trail. The case of the 22-year-old Syrian served as the impetus for her to get involved in Greece, where she works closely with Syd Bolton, a lawyer specializing in human rights and the rights of minors. Read more>>>