Nearly a year after one of the deadliest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, off southern Greece, a court in Kalamata dropped criminal charges on Tuesday against nine Egyptians charged in connection with the tragedy.
The court deemed that Greece did not have the jurisdiction to try the case, as the trawler sank in international waters.
Lawyers for the defendants, who were on the trawler when it sank but were accused of smuggling and other crimes, hailed the decision as belated justice.
But the court did not rule on whether the Egyptian men were guilty or not — only that the case was not for Greece to decide.
Survivors’ testimonies said that women and children were onboard, too, but on lower decks and unable to escape.
Persons:
Adriana
Organizations:
Lawyers
Locations:
Greece, Kalamata, Italy, Libya, Syria, Egypt, Pakistan