Six smugglers jailed for manslaughter over worst Channel small boats disaster
A French court has convicted six human traffickers of involuntary homicide for their role in a 2021 Channel boat disaster that resulted in 31 deaths. The trial highlighted the dangerous conditions of the crossing and the organized nature of the smuggling networks involved.
Why it matters
This verdict serves as a significant legal precedent in holding traffickers accountable for the loss of life during illegal maritime crossings.
Image source, AFP via Getty Images Image caption, File photo from 2021 of a beach in northern France used by migrants to attempt the Channel crossing to England
Six people traffickers have been found guilty in France of causing the deaths of 31 migrants in the worst ever small-boat accident in the Channel.
At the end of a four-week trial in Paris, the six were convicted of "involuntary homicide" and given prison terms of between six and 10 years.
Seven others were given lesser sentences of up to four years, and one person was found not guilty.
The boat went down early in the morning on 24 November 2021 after sending distress calls to French and British coastguards. The dead, including a child of seven, were mainly Iraqi Kurds but also included Afghans, Egyptians and Iranian Kurds. Only two men survived.
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