Fourteen go on trial over deadliest Channel small boats disaster
Fourteen suspected smugglers are on trial in Paris for their involvement in a 2021 English Channel disaster that resulted in the deaths of at least 27 migrants. The defendants face charges of manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration, with many victims being Iraqi Kurds.
Why it matters
The trial highlights the human cost of illegal migration routes and the legal efforts to prosecute organized criminal groups responsible for dangerous crossings.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Life jackets and other belongings seen on the shore of a beach in northern France from where crossings set off
Fourteen suspected people smugglers have gone on trial in Paris for their role in the worst ever small boats disaster in the English Channel.
In November 2021, at least 30 men, women and children drowned when their motorised dinghy deflated and started taking on water halfway between France and the UK.
The 14 defendants – mainly Afghan nationals – are accused of manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration as part of an organised criminal group.
Most of them deny the charges. Two of the 14, who are alleged to be leaders of the operation, remain on the run and are being tried in absentia.
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