No evidence for the existence of the allegedly deceased refugee girl Maria

Did the "Spiegel" report on a death on the Turkish-Greek border and allegations against Greece in this context, without the death or the allegedly dead child ever occurring? The Hamburg media company has now published the results of its own research in a detailed report.

At its core is the allegation that Greek authorities could have prevented the alleged death of the child, known as Maria, on Greek territory. Refugees had sent "Spiegel" journalists a cell phone photo of a child who looked pale and was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. A bruise is said to have appeared on one leg. The refugees' version: the bite of a scorpion is said to have led to the death of the child.

Result of the investigations of the "Spiegel": "Even if there is no final proof, there are some indications that some of the refugees could have invented the death in their desperation. Maybe they thought that they would finally be saved.”

In their review, the journalists write that the picture of the allegedly dead girl is not proof that the child really died: "The photo was sent via WhatsApp and does not contain any metadata that would indicate when and where it was taken. Also, you can't tell if the girl just closed her eyes or if she's dead."

In addition, the research team describes doubts about the statements made by Maryam B., Maria's alleged mother, that she had a total of five children. In photos, the woman can only be seen with a maximum of four children, otherwise there is no evidence of the existence of the fifth child. Maria is said to have been the twin sister of another child. "The family claims that all the souvenir photos were stored on a mobile phone that the Greeks took from them. Relatives or acquaintances could also not send any photographic evidence.”

The child was not entered in a Syrian register after birth or before the flight, but only three months after the alleged death. Subsequent entries are not uncommon, but with the right connections in Syria it is easy to get for as little as $50.

A place where the child is said to be buried could not be found either. According to "Spiegel", the parents say that they can no longer remember the exact location. Contrary to Islamic rituals, a tombstone was not placed. The reason: Other migrants should not be aware of it. The risk that someone would disturb the child's peace because he suspected valuables had been buried in the marked place was too high.

Possibly also due to the time of publication, there have been few reactions to the admission of the errors of the "Spiegel". Marvin Schade, media journalist and founder of the industry service "Medieninsider" addressed the timing of the publication: "Friday evening, the evening before New Year's Eve". The industry expert also wrote on Twitter: "I'm curious to see what consequences the 'Spiegel' will draw from this. Despite the detailed work-up: that shouldn't have happened. The highest standards are useless if all control mechanisms fail.”

The case brings back memories of fake reports by Claas Relotius, which appeared in "Spiegel" for years and won numerous prizes. In contrast to Relotius, in this case it is apparently only about the fact that reporters believed a made-up story – and did not check it sufficiently. Relotius, on the other hand, deliberately falsified.

The "Spiegel" writes that the original reports about the case of the allegedly deceased Maria would no longer be put on the website because too much would have to be corrected. Instead, the journalists refer to their detailed research into the case.