No doubt, Frontex will brush these findings aside; there will be no serious follow-up actions. One need only consider the tepid recommendations issued by the FRO: no call for the officers responsible to be sanctioned or banned from taking part in Frontex's Joint Operation.

Ultimately, the deaths of Ahmed Samra, Ahmed Elavdan and Seyfala Elbeltagi do not matter, as much as the lives of these kids never did. That is why they were left to die. Their death is an inconvenience, perversely appropriated by Frontex to justify its presence.

There’s a lot of gaslighting involved in pursuing access to these sorts of documents. Frontex's legal team has turned legalistic bullshitting into an art form. So it’s reassuring that the European Ombudsman sees straight through it — and calls it out for what it is.

Frontex is also refusing to release details of what its internal fundamental rights watchdog recommended to tackle the systematic underreporting of rights violations against migrants witnessed by its own officers:
balkaninsight.com/2024/09/06/e...

The result? 18 months later, EU citizens are still denied their right to know what measures were recommended to address the torture, the beatings, the disappearances occurring in Frontex operations in Bulgaria.
www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod...

So is this another victory in the battle against Frontex’s obstinacy? Yes. But, as always with FX, the devil is in the details. Not only did Frontex insist on maintaining its redactions of the FRO’s “recommendations” on legally nebulous grounds — it refused to acknowledge it had done anything wrong.

Access to documents is not a bureaucratic nicety or a favour granted by Frontex. It’s a "special fundamental right", as the ECJ has recognised. When authorities violate it, they weaken every citizen’s ability to take part in democratic life.

It's clear that these documents should never have been kept secret. I should never have had to go to the Ombudsman for redress. They should have been released when I first requested them in May 2024. Crucially, the Ombudsman found that Frontex's use of the 'public security' exception was baseless.

bsky.app/profile/stav...