International Courant
Rights teams declare that the 9 Egyptian defendants’ proper to a good trial has been jeopardized by ‘incomplete’ proof.
9 Egyptian males have been tried in southern Greece, accused of inflicting the Pylos shipwreck final 12 months that killed lots of of migrants and refugees.
Worldwide human rights teams say their proper to a good trial is being threatened as a result of they’re being delivered to justice earlier than an investigation is accomplished into claims that the Greek coast guard could have bungled the rescue try.
On Tuesday, a small group of protesters clashed with riot police as proceedings have been underway at a courtroom in Kalamata, southern Greece.
The defendants, most of whom are of their 20s, face life in jail if convicted on a number of prison expenses within the June 14, 2023, sinking of the fishing boat Adriana.
In response to rights teams and impartial researchers, as many as 750 individuals have been on board the trawler, which traveled from Libya to Italy, and greater than 550 individuals are believed to have been killed.
After the sinking, 104 individuals have been rescued – primarily from Syria, Pakistan and Egypt – and 82 our bodies have been recovered.
United Nations Secretary-Normal Antonio Guterres has described the shipwreck off the southern coast of Greece as “horrifying”.
Police conflict with protesters outdoors the courtroom in Kalamata, Greece, on Could 21, 2024 (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Photograph)
Accusations in opposition to the Greek coast guard
Legal professionals from Greek human rights teams symbolize the 9 Egyptians, who deny the smuggling allegations.
“There’s a actual threat that these 9 survivors might be discovered ‘responsible’ on the idea of incomplete and questionable proof, because the official investigation into the position of the coastguard has not but been accomplished,” stated Judith Sunderland, Deputy Director for Europe and Central -East. Asia at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
Authorities say the suspects have been recognized by different survivors, and the fees are primarily based on their testimonies.
Testimonies from survivors to Al Jazeera put the blame on the Greek coast guard, which tried to tow the ship, inflicting it to capsize, saying it didn’t act sufficient to save lots of the lives of these within the water.
The Greek coast guard has denied these allegations.
Paramedics from the Greek Nationwide Emergency Ambulance Service (EKAV) and members of the Hellenic Pink Cross help migrants upon arrival on the port of Kalamata (File: Bougiotis Evangelos/EPA-EFE)
Sunderland wrote on
A joint report by Amnesty Worldwide and Human Rights Watch, primarily based on testimony from representatives of the Hellenic Coast Guard, the Hellenic Police and non-governmental organizations, additionally concluded that the coast guard didn’t reply correctly to misery calls.
An investigation on the Hellenic Naval Courtroom into the position of the Greek coast guard within the shipwreck has but to be accomplished.
“The Pylos 9 defendants have been wrongly arrested and charged with smuggling crimes primarily based on restricted and questionable proof,” Marion Bouchetel, a member of the Authorized Heart Lesbos, which is defending the suspects, advised Al Jazeera.
“Our argument, primarily based on the testimonies of the survivors, is that these 9 individuals are at the least not accountable for the sinking. The coast guard is accountable for the sinking,” Stefanos Levidis, one of many lead investigators in an investigation into the shipwreck, advised Al Jazeera.
Trial underway in Greece over the Pylos shipwreck that killed greater than 500 individuals | Migration information
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