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France to Try 14 over Channel Disaster that Left Iraqi Kurds Dead Fourteen people will go on trial in France over the deaths of at least 27 migrants in November 2021 in the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, prosecutors said Tuesday. The defendants, linked to people-smuggling networks, are accused of playing a role in the sinking in which at least 27 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds, died when their inflatable dinghy sank in the early hours of November 24, 2021. Four others are still believed to remain missing, AFP reported. The sinking remains the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, a route used by thousands of migrants each year to reach Britain from France. The 14 individuals, most of them born in Afghanistan and Iraq, face charges including manslaughter and criminal conspiracy, the national organized crime prosecutor's office said, for roles ranging from drivers to those who organized the crossing. Most deny any wrongdoing, with some Iraqi Kurdish defendants saying they were migrants rather than people smugglers. It was not immediately clear when the trial would start. In a separate probe linked to the sinking, at least seven French military pe…

Nine people smugglers get jail time in France for deadly Channel shipwreck Nine Kurdish and Afghan human traffickers have received prison terms in France for their involvement in a tragic Channel shipwreck in December 2022 that claimed the lives of eight migrants. Three of the traffickers, including one convicted in absentia, received eight-year prison terms, while the remaining six were sentenced to seven years. They were also fined between €50,000 and €100,000 and banned from entering French territory. The charges included human trafficking, involuntary manslaughter, endangerment, and aiding illegal immigration. The overcrowded boat embarked on the night of 13-14 December 2022, despite poor weather conditions. The incident ranks among the deadliest migrant shipwrecks since a disaster near Calais in November 2021 in which 27 people died. That case has yet to go to trial. At the trial, one defendant admitted to transporting migrants from the Loon-Plage camp, where hundreds await a chance to cross over illegally to the UK. He claimed he acted under duress. The vessel’s pilot, a minor from Senegal, had already received a nine-year jail sentence in the UK. A tenth individual, cu…

France puts 14 on trial over deadliest Channel migrant crossing disaster Fourteen people will stand trial in France over the deaths of 31 migrants in the deadliest recorded small-boat disaster in the English Channel, prosecutors said on Tuesday. The defendants are accused of links to people-smuggling networks involved in the November 2021 sinking, which left four others missing.

France to try 14 over deadliest Channel migrant disaster https://arab.news/67zqg PARIS: Fourteen people will go on trial in France over the deaths of at least 27 migrants in November 2021 in the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, prosecutors said Tuesday.The defendants, linked to people-smuggling networks, are accused of playing a role in the sinking in which at least 27 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds, died when their inflatable dinghy sank in the early hours of November 24, 2021. Four others are still believed to remain missing.The sinking remains the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, a route used by thousands of migrants each year to reach Britain from France.The 14 individuals, most of them born in Afghanistan and Iraq, face charges including manslaughter and criminal conspiracy, the national organized crime prosecutor’s office said, for roles ranging from drivers to those who organized the crossing.Most deny any wrongdoing, with some Iraqi Kurdish defendants saying they were migrants rather than people smugglers.It was not immediately clear when the trial would start.In a separate probe linked to the sinking, at least seven French military…

France prosecutes 14 for the deadly migrant shipwreck Follow us 3 minutes 1 minute 2 minutes 1 minute 1 minute The French Prosecutor's Office has filed charges this Tuesday against 14 people who are held responsible for their involvement in the death of at least 31 migrants, including a minor, in a shipwreck that occurred at the end of 2021 off the country's coast, considered the deadliest recorded to date in the English Channel. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, these 14 people would be related to smuggling and human trafficking networks and face charges of involuntary manslaughter, involuntary injury, complicity in illegal immigration within an organized group, and participation in a criminal organization. The authorities have indicated that most of the suspects would be originally from Afghanistan and Iraq and would have assumed different roles within these trafficking structures, with the aim of obtaining significant economic benefits, according to information disseminated by the broadcaster France Info. In parallel, the investigation remains open to clarify the possible responsibility of military personnel, which has led to the holding of several separate …

French court convicts 18 in a major trial that casts light on the deadly ... Europe’s increasingly strict asylum rules, growing xenophobia and hostile treatment of migrants are also pushing many migrants north. LILLE, France (AP) — A French court found 18 people guilty Tuesday in a major migrant-smuggling trial that shed light on the lucrative but often deadly clandestine business of transporting people on flimsy boats across the perilous sea from France to the U.K. The defendants were swept up in a pan-European police operation in 2022 that led to dozens of arrests and the seizure of boats, life jackets, outboard engines, paddles, and cash. The court in Lille, northern France, sentenced one of the ringleaders, Mirkhan Rasoul, a 26-year-old from Iraq, to 15 years in prison and a fine of 200,000 euros ($218,000). Rasoul attended the trial in a secured plexiglass box and under the surveillance of armed police. Other sentences ranged from two years to 10 years in prison. “These sentences are obviously very severe,” said Kamel Abbas, a lawyer who represented one of the defendants already imprisoned in France. “That’s a testimony of the scale of the case, and of the intention to s…

French court jails 18 members of Channel people smuggling gang - RFI French court jails 18 members of Channel people smuggling gang Lille (France) (AFP) – A French court on Tuesday issued prison terms of up to 15 years to 18 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds, convicted of forming a vast gang to smuggle migrants aboard small boats across the Channel to England. Issued on: 05/11/2024 - 18:28 2 min Reading time Advertising Read more The investigation found that this particular network, between 2020 and 2022, had great control over migrant crossings from France to England, which have cost dozens of lives in the last years. The stiffest sentence of 15 years in prison was given to Iraqi national Mirkhan Rasoul, 26, who was accused of being the leader of the network and coordinating its actions from his French prison cell after previous convictions. The sentences issued by the court in the northern city of Lille for the other 17 accused, who included one woman, ranged from one to 12 years in jail. Wearing a black quilted gilet and sporting a dark beard, Rasoul listened calmly in the glass defendants' box to his sentence being pronounced by the judge. Already convicted twice for aiding illegal r…

3 migrants dead in Channel crossing as smugglers overload boats amid ... Now 85° Wed 91° Thu 90° byTOM NOUVIAN | The Associated Press PARIS (AP) —At least three migrants died early Sunday while attempting to cross the English Channel to Britain from northern France, authorities said. The deaths were confirmed after an early morning rescue operation involving French emergency services and the navy’s “Dauphin” helicopter. Around 50 people were stranded in the water and on the beach near Sangatte at around 6 a.m., according to the regional prefecture. Rescuers assisted 45 individuals, including four who were transported to hospitals. Three unconscious people were pulled from the water but could not be revived, despite efforts by medical teams. An investigation has been opened by prosecutors in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Jacques Billant, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais, said an overcrowded boat may have contributed to the tragedy. “There were more people attempting to board than the boat could hold,” he said during a press conference Sunday. Angela Eagle, the U.K. border security and asylum minister, said the boats were operated by smugglers the government has vowed to stop. “This m…

France puts 14 on trial over deadliest Channel migrant crossing disaster France puts 14 on trial over deadliest Channel migrant crossing disaster By FRANCE 24 - RFI France WED, 17 JUN 2026 A boat thought to carry migrants is escorted by a vessel from the French Gendarmerie Nationale in the English Channel off Wimereux beach, France, Sept. 4, 2024 - © Nicolas Garriga, AP Fourteen people will go on trial in France over the loss of 31 migrants in November 2021 in the deadliest small-boat crossing accident recorded in the Channel, prosecutors said Tuesday. The defendants, linked to people-smuggling networks, are accused of playing a role in the sinking in which 27 people, mainly Iraqi Kurds , were confirmed dead when their inflatable dinghy sank in the early hours of November 24, 2021. Four others are still unaccounted for. The sinking remains the deadliest recorded small-boat crossing of the Channel, a route used by thousands of migrants each year to reach Britain from France. Read more Russian warship fires warning shots at UK-flagged yacht in the English Channel The 14 individuals, most of them born in Afghanistan and Iraq , face charges including manslaughter and criminal conspira…