Greek judge drops charges against nine Egyptians accused of causing shipwreck

• A Greek judge has dismissed charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants last year.
• The fishing boat, which was transporting more than 500 people from Libya to Italy, sank and 104 people were rescued and 82 bodies were recovered.
• International human rights groups criticized the fairness of the trial due to an ongoing investigation into the rescue attempt by the Greek coast guard.

A Greek judge dismissed charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants last year and sent shockwaves through the European Union's asylum and border protection operations, after a prosecutor told the court that Greece lacked jurisdiction.

Shortly after the trial began in the southern Greek city of Kalamata, prosecutor Ekaterini Tsironi recommended that the charges be dismissed, saying Greek jurisdiction could not be established because the overcrowded fishing boat sank out of the waters. Greek territorial

It is believed that more than 500 people sank with the fishing boat traveling from Libya to Italy. After the sinking, 104 people were rescued (mostly immigrants from Syria, Pakistan and Egypt) and 82 bodies were recovered.

9 MEN ACCUSED OF CAUSING A DEADLY SHIPWRECK IN THE MEDITERRANEAN WEREN'T EVEN CREW, SAYS GREEK DEFENSE TEAM

Supporters applauded and cheered as the judge announced the dismissal of a case that had faced criticism from international human rights groups, who argued that the defendants' right to a fair trial was compromised because they faced trial while the attempt was being investigated. rescue team of the Greek coast guard. It's still going.

Earlier, a small group of protesters clashed with riot police outside the courthouse. There were no reports of serious injuries but two people were arrested. Police special forces officers maintained order in the courtroom.

The defendants, most in their 20s, faced life in prison if convicted of multiple criminal charges over the sinking of the fishing boat “Adriana” on June 14 last year off the southern coast of Greece.

Defense lawyer Spyros Pantazis had previously asked the court to declare itself incompetent to try the case, arguing that the sinking occurred outside Greek territorial waters.

“The court should not become an international punisher,” Pantazis told the three-judge panel.

Kontaratou interrogated the nine defendants through an interpreter. The defendants said their intention was to travel to Italy, not Greece, and several declared their innocence.

Kontaratou acknowledged that “there was no Greek on board, it was not under the Greek flag and all documents refer to (the ship being) 47 nautical miles away.”

Last year, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the shipwreck as “horrific.”

Renewed growing pressure on European governments to protect the lives of migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach the continent, as the number of people traveling illegally across the Mediterranean continues to rise each year.

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Lawyers from Greek human rights groups represent the nine Egyptians, who deny smuggling charges.

“There is a real risk that these nine survivors will be found 'guilty' on the basis of incomplete and questionable evidence, given that the official investigation into the role of the coast guard has not yet been concluded,” said Judith Sunderland, associate director. for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch.

Authorities say the defendants were identified by other survivors and the accusations are based on their testimonies.

European border protection agency Frontex says illegal border detections at EU borders increased for three consecutive years through 2023, reaching the highest level since the 2015-2016 migration crisis, driven largely by arrivals at maritime borders.