The trial of nine Egyptians accused of trafficking in Greece’s migrant disaster last year that cost the lives of some 600 migrants is set to begin next week with defense lawyers claiming they are just scapegoats.
The defense maintains that the nine men were charged with insufficient proof and that the investigation was closed within months without thoroughly examining available evidence.
The Greek lawyers maintained their clients’ innocence, saying all nine defendants had been paying passengers who had been misidentified as crew members by other survivors who gave testimonies under duress just hours after having been rescued.
The nine “are random people, smuggled people who paid the same amounts as all the others to take this trip to Italy aiming for a better life, and they are accused of being part of the smuggling team,” lawyer and defense team member Vicky Aggelidou said.
The suspects are “scapegoats” in Greece’s migrant disaster
The suspects “are scapegoats to cover up the responsibilities of the (Greek) coastguard,” defense lawyer Natasha Dailiani told a news conference. “There must be a fair trial and a search for the real causes” of the disaster, she said.
Dimitris Choulis, another lawyer and member of the legal team, said that Greek authorities named the defendants as crew members following testimonies by nine other survivors who identified them for having done things as simple as handing bottles of water or pieces of fruit to other passengers.
“For nearly a year now, nine people have been in prison without knowing what they are in prison for,” Choulis said. “For me, it is very sad to visit and see people in prison who do not understand why they are there,” he added.
Migrant boat may be carrying more than 750 people
The men aged 21 to 37, whose trial opens Tuesday, have been held for nearly a year following the sinking last June. They were among the 104 survivors of a rusty and overcrowded trawler, the Adriana, that sank off the coast of Pylos, western Greece.
Eighty-two bodies were recovered but based on testimony from survivors and relatives, the ship was feared to have been carrying more than 750 people.
The suspects are accused of being part of a migrant smuggling group operating the trawler. Some were hospitalized after their rescue.
Survivors have said the Greek coastguard tied a rope to the Adriana and powered out to sea, causing it to capsize. Greek officials deny that account. Survivors have also said Greek coastguard officials took away their mobile phones after the rescue.
The EU ombudsman’s office in February said, after its own investigation, that Greek coastguard recording equipment was switched off during the interaction with the Adriana. EU ombudsman Emily O’Reilly noted that the Greek coastguard had decided against an internal investigation.
Many survivors have filed a group lawsuit against Greek authorities alleging they failed to take appropriate action before the boat sank.
In Greece, controlling the boat or driving the car facilitating unauthorized entry is a criminal offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison for each person transported. The penalty can be higher depending on additional charges, such as endangering the lives of passengers if the boat gets into distress.
Those imprisoned for smuggling now constitute 20 percent of Greece’s prison population, with more than 2,000 people jailed as of February 2023, according to data released by the Greek Ministry of Citizen Protection.