Fourteen men stand trial in Paris over migrant deaths in the English Channel
In Paris, France, 14 men are standing trial in a case involving the smuggling of migrants across the English Channel, linked to the deaths of more than 30 people in November 2021. An overloaded inflatable boat deflated during the dangerous crossing to the United Kingdom.
As Daily Maverick reports, investigators believe the migrants’ journey was organized by networks linked to Afghan and Iraqi Kurdish groups. According to investigators, they arranged the transport of people to Britain from camps near Grande-Synthe and Calais in northern France.
Charges in the case
The defendants face charges including involuntary manslaughter, facilitating illegal immigration as part of an organized group, and criminal conspiracy. They include alleged organizers, transporters, and logistics coordinators linked to smuggling networks.
Prosecutors argue that their actions helped create the conditions that led to the tragedy, even if some of those involved were not present when the boat set out to sea. Two defendants are evading French authorities and will therefore be tried in absentia.
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Investigators cite mobile phone data, intercepted messages, surveillance materials, as well as testimony from survivors and relatives of the victims.
Circumstances of the tragedy
A French fishing vessel alerted emergency services after seeing bodies in the water off the French coast near Calais. According to a court document, the bodies of 27 victims were recovered, while at least four people were never found. Only two men survived.
Most of the victims were Iraqi Kurds; those killed also included Afghans, Ethiopians, an Egyptian, a Somali, an Iranian Kurd, and a Vietnamese national. The youngest known victim was a seven-year-old girl. Court documents indicate that the boat was not certified and was unsuitable for travel on the open sea, and that it did not have enough life jackets.
A British investigation concluded that the deaths could have been avoided. It found that a French naval vessel did not respond to a distress signal from the British coastguard, which, according to the investigation’s findings, also made a number of erroneous decisions, including ending the search for survivors prematurely. According to the source, the trial is due to continue until September 30.
