On Tuesday, in the southern city of Kalamata, Greece, Nine Egyptian men go on trial over allegedly causing a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants and sent shockwaves through the European Union’s border protection and asylum operations.
A series of charges have been imposed on the accused, including migrant smuggling, participation in a criminal organization, facilitating illegal entry into Greece, and intentionally causing a deadly shipwreck. Also, the nine men, whose ages range from the 20s to early 40s, if convicted, they will face several life sentences.
The shipwreck
Remarked as the Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwreck occurred on June 14 last year in international waters off the southwestern coast of Greece. The Adriana, an overcrowded fishing trawler, set for sail early in June 2023; the ship had been sailing from Libya to Italy with hundreds of asylum-seekers on board.
Four days later, passengers started sending distress calls, stating that the boat had stopped moving. The Italian coastguard and Europe’s border agency notified the Greek coastguard and reached the location late June 14.
It was later discovered that the coastguard attempted to tow the boat, causing it to flip over and that it did not sufficiently act to save the lives of those in the water.
The estimated passengers were from around 500 to more than 700, out of which only 104 people survived, all men and boys from Syria, Egypt, Pakistan and Palestine — and 82 bodies were recovered.
The Adriana capsized in the first hours of June 15.
The defense team
The legal defense team for nine Egyptian men consisting of lawyers from the Greek human rights groups are set to argue that Greece has no jurisdiction in the case and insist their clients were innocent survivors who have been unjustly prosecuted.
“The Pylos 9 defendants were unjustly arrested and charged with smuggling offences based on limited and questionable evidence,” Marion Bouchetel, a member of Legal Centre Lesvos, which is defending the accused, told Al Jazeera.
Amnesty International and Human Rights have called the trial proceedings rushed and improper. They say their right to a fair trial is being compromised as they face judgment before an investigation is concluded. Additionally, the claims of the Greek coastguard botching the rescue attempt have yet to be concluded, and the defence team has not been given access to the evidence collected.
“There’s a real risk that these nine survivors could be found guilty’ on the basis of incomplete and questionable evidence given that the official investigation into the role of the coastguard has not yet been completed,” said Judith Sunderland, an associate director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described the shipwreck off the southern coast of Greece as “horrific”.
Dozens of people held a rally in Athens on Monday in protest over last year’s sinking of the Adriana.
