A Paris court on Wednesday found six men guilty of manslaughter for their roles in a tragic incident in which 27 migrants drowned while attempting to cross the English Channel in November 2021. The court described the six smugglers as "individuals driven by greed, with utter disregard for human life". The incident occurred when an overloaded dinghy deflated, causing the migrants to drown in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
The six men found guilty of manslaughter were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 10 years. Seven other men were found guilty of lesser smuggling charges, including facilitating illegal immigration as part of an organized gang and criminal conspiracy. Their sentences ranged from six months suspended to four years in prison. One man was found innocent. The defendants have 10 days to appeal the ruling.
The migrants who drowned were mostly Iraqi Kurds, but also included people from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Egypt, Somalia, Iran, and Vietnam. The youngest known victim was a seven-year-old girl. Relatives of some victims described the anguish provoked by the disaster during the trial. Zana Mamand Muhammad, whose 18-year-old brother Twana was never recovered, told the court that he lives with the uncertainty of discovering information about his brother's disappearance.
A lawyer for the victims' families, Matthieu Chirez, said the court's decision was a relief, confirming the smugglers' criminal responsibility. He added that this is a welcome first step, which now leads to a second one: the trial of the military personnel. Members of the French military are currently under formal investigation for failing to help the migrants when they were in danger.
A British inquiry into the disaster found that the deaths were avoidable. It concluded that a French naval vessel failed to respond to a call for help from the British coastguard, which in turn made "a number of flawed decisions", including ending a search for survivors too early. The investigation into five members of a maritime rescue coordination center and two sailors onboard a patrol began in 2023.
The incident occurred on November 24, 2021, when a French fishing vessel alerted emergency services to bodies floating in the waters off the French coast near Calais. Twenty-seven victims were recovered, while at least four others were never found. Only two men survived the disaster.
In a separate development, France and Britain have ended a year-old deal to return migrants crossing the Channel illegally on small boats. The UK Home Office confirmed that the "one in, one out" deal, launched last August, is no longer processing new cases.
Key points
- Six men were sentenced to prison terms for manslaughter over the deaths of 27 migrants who drowned in the English Channel.
- The incident occurred when an overloaded dinghy deflated, causing the migrants to drown in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
- France and Britain have ended a deal to return migrants crossing the Channel illegally on small boats.
