Greek Trial Of One Of Med's Worst Migrant Tragedies Opens

Kalamata, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) The trial of nine accused smugglers opens on Tuesday, nearly a year after a derelict migrant trawler with hundreds on board sank off the coast of Greece in one of Europe's deadliest shipwrecks.

Nine Egyptian men -- who were among the 104 survivors -- will appear before a court in Kalamata, southwestern Greece, to answer charges including negligent homicide, participation in a criminal organisation and facilitating illegal entry into the country.

The men, aged 21 to 37 years old, have denied responsibility.

Their lawyers say they are being scapegoated to obscure the responsibilities of the Greek coastguard, which failed to mount an effective rescue.

The suspects, who have spent the past 11 months in pre-trial detention, face life imprisonment if convicted.

As the sinking occurred in international waters, 47 nautical miles (87 kilometres) off the coast of Pylos, lawyers for the defendants say a Greek court is not competent to hear the case.