Greek Court Dismisses Charges in Deadly Migrant Shipwreck Case

A Greek court dismissed charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants off Greece, citing lack of jurisdiction. The overcrowded boat from Libya capsized in June 2022, leading to one of the deadliest accidents in the Mediterranean Sea. Survivors blame a failed Greek coastguard rescue attempt.

A Greek court on Tuesday threw out charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants off Greece last year, ruling it had no jurisdiction over the case because the disaster was in international waters. The overcrowded Adriana fishing trawler from Libya was carrying up to 700 Pakistani, Syrian and Egyptian migrants bound for Italy before it capsized off southwestern Greece on June 14, one of the deadliest boat accidents ever in the Mediterranean Sea. Only 104 survivors were rescued and 82 bodies found.

The nine defendants, who were on board and charged with migrant smuggling, causing a shipwreck and participating in a criminal organisation, spent 11 months in detention before the case was dismissed within hours of the trial opening. They denied wrongdoing. Their lawyers said they were migrants seeking a better life in Italy and had been used as scapegoats by the Greek government.

It was not immediately clear if another international court would take on the case. Many survivors say a disastrous attempt by the Greek coastguard to tow the boat caused it to capsize in some of the deepest waters in the Mediterranean. Human rights groups and the defendants' lawyers have questioned the integrity of the Greek investigation and say not enough has been done to probe the coast guard's role.

The cause of the shipwreck remains a source of dispute. Greece's coast guard has denied any role in the sinking and said those on the vessel had refused assistance. It declined to comment on Tuesday. "This is a great victory for human rights in Greece," Spyros Pantazis, one of the defendants' lawyers, told Reuters.

"Nine innocent men are walking free. Finally, after a huge struggle and pain, justice has been served." The Greek coast guard's role in the incident is being investigated by a naval court, but the timing of any report or trial is not yet known.

CHEERS, HUGS The courtroom in the city of Kalamata erupted in applause after the judge announced the decision on Tuesday. The men, aged from 21 to 41, hugged relatives or knelt and kissed the floor.

They are expected to be released in the coming days and sent to a camp near Athens while their asylum applications are processed. It could be weeks before they are fully free, one of their lawyers said. Still, family members were ecstatic.

"I am very happy ... I just want to grab him and take him with me," said the aunt of one of the defendants, who travelled from Italy to attend the trial. The case has been followed closely in Greece, which in the past decade has been a magnet for hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking asylum from Africa and the Middle East, often in small, crowded boats.

Before the hearing, supporters of the defendants briefly scuffled with police who had cordoned off the area. "This crime will not be forgotten," they chanted. "We will become the voices of the dead."

Defence lawyers said the men were charged after a rushed investigation and on insufficient evidence. While the boat was in international waters it was sailing in Greece's demarcated rescue area. Before the trial, lawyers accused the coastguard of monitoring the vessel for hours before launching a rescue operation and trying to pull the boat into Italian waters.

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