After a serious boat accident in the Mediterranean in which hundreds of refugees died, the legal process is stalling. A Greek court has now dropped charges against the suspected smugglers, saying it has no jurisdiction.
In the trial surrounding one of the worst ship accidents in the Mediterranean, the charges against nine defendants have been dropped. The court in Greece declared that it had no jurisdiction after two representatives of the Greek coast guard said that the accident occurred in international waters.
The overloaded trawler “Adriana” sank off the Greek coast in June last year and only 104 people were rescued. Up to 600 people are said to have died.
Nine Egyptians who survived the accident were charged with negligent homicide, membership in a criminal organization and aiding and abetting illegal entry. The men had previously always protested their innocence: they had paid themselves to set sail from the Libyan port of Tobruk to Europe on the rusty fishing boat. The 21- and 37-year-olds were held in custody for eleven months. If convicted, they would have faced life imprisonment.
Defendants were identified as smugglers
According to the coast guard and public prosecutor’s office, the defendants were identified as smugglers by other survivors of the accident based on photos. They are said to have steered the boat and sometimes used violence to ensure peace and order on board. According to survivors, most of the migrants were trapped below deck and were unable to free themselves in time. The sea at the site of the accident is around 5,000 meters deep.
After the accident, there was also criticism of the Greek coast guard, which was accused of not bringing the boat to safety. The officials said they had offered help several times, but the crew rejected it, saying they wanted to go to Italy, not Greece.
Open questions about the deployment of the coast guard
It was said that the water police officers did not want to force the boat into tow – for fear that panic could break out on board the completely overcrowded cutter. According to some witnesses, the coast guard still took the boat in tow, whereupon panic actually broke out and the cutter overturned. The Greek authorities deny the allegations.
There are still many unanswered questions in the case and investigations into the actions of the Greek authorities are ongoing. The EU border protection agency Frontex and the NGO Alarm Phone reported to the Greek authorities that the “Adriana” was in the Greek search and rescue zone.
Lawyers: Made scapegoats of our clients
Lawyers for the accused men said their clients were made scapegoats to distract attention from the misconduct of the Greek coast guard, which failed to mount an effective rescue operation after the accident.
Their clients were also arrested less than 24 hours after the ship sank and on the basis of only nine witness statements, some of which were not translated correctly. According to the lawyers, some survivors said they were pressured by Greek police to identify the suspects in blurred photos.