Thirteen sentenced to jail in France over deadly Channel migrant boat sinking

Thirteen people were sentenced to prison terms up to 10 years in jail on Wednesday in France, in connection with the sinking of a boat in the English Channel five years ago.

A total of 31 migrants, most of whom were Iraqi Kurds, died in November 2021 when their boat sank.

France’s Interior minister described it at the time as the biggest migration tragedy on the dangerous crossing.

Fourteen alleged smugglers had been on trial since September 8. Twelve of them attended the trial, including one who was in custody. Two remain at large.

They were accused of organising the crossing of a small boat that was unfit for navigation on the open sea, was overloaded, and lacked appropriate life jackets.

The court said the trial highlighted the dramatic consequences of the methods used by smugglers driven by greed "profiting from the vulnerability of exile candidates."

Among the 14 defendants, six were convicted of involuntary manslaughter, and received jail sentences ranging from 6 to 10 years.

One of the eight remaining men was cleared of all accusations, while the others received lesser prison sentences, primarily for aiding illegal residence as part of an organised gang.

"This trade in human distress, this trade of exile, when it costs the lives of 31 people and the sea becomes a graveyard, [has] a price, and the court said this price was justice and prison time," said Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer for victims' families.

Two survivors

Only two people survived the shipwreck, one of whom testified during the trial. He told investigators that he had taken part in an earlier failed attempt to cross the Channel with 53 other migrants. It failed and they were brought back to French shores by rescue teams.

He said his family in Iraq funded his passage, having paid $3,200. He added that the same smugglers’ network organised the second attempt on November 24 when the small boat sank.

After it was prepared in a wooded area, the grey boat equipped with a 40 CV engine was launched. The migrants, wearing life jackets provided by the smugglers, set out to sea at around 10 p.m. local time.

Four hours later, the boat began to deflate, and with the engine having stopped, it drifted at the mercy of the currents.

The survivor recalled passengers' numerous attempts to reach French and English emergency services.

Meanwhile, an investigation into seven French military personnel who have been indicted for failing to assist the shipwreck survivors is still underway.