nine Egyptians suspected of being smugglers, taken into custody

The investigation is continuing. Nine Egyptians, suspected of being smugglers involved in the sinking of a boat of exiles off the coast of Greece which left at least 82 dead, have been charged with “illegal trafficking” in human beings and remanded in custody , a Greek judicial source reported on Tuesday, June 20.

Aged between 20 and 40, they are also being prosecuted for having formed “a criminal organization” and for “negligent homicide”. They face a life prison sentence, according to Greek law. During their appearance of more than 10 hours on Tuesday before an examining magistrate in Kalamata, they all denied the charges, according to the same source.

The coastguards singled out

The deadly shipwreck, presented as one of the most serious involving exiles in the Mediterranean, took place on the night of June 13 to 14, 47 nautical miles (87 km) off the coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the international waters, according to the Greek Coast Guard.

The circumstances of the sinking raised many questions. The Greek coastguards are singled out by survivors and NGOs, in particular because they had spotted the boat since Tuesday but did not intervene until early Wednesday morning when the boat capsized and sank.

The Greek authorities, on the defensive, repeated that the migrants had refused any help but NGOs assured that the authorities should have intervened even in the event of refusal because the boat, overloaded, was in distress. In addition to an investigation opened by the Greek authorities, the United Nations has requested an investigation.