NAFPLIO, Greece: A group of Egyptians jailed for nearly a year pending trial for a deadly shipwreck were released from jail Wednesday, a day after a Greek court threw out the case against them on grounds that it had no jurisdiction to try it.

Nine Egyptians had been charged with being part of the crew of the Adriana, a massively overcrowded trawler that capsized and sank near Greece last June with an estimated 700 people on board while sailing from Libya to Italy. Only 104 people survived – all men, mostly from Syria, Egypt and Pakistan — and 82 bodies were recovered.

The nine, who have been in pre-trial custody since their rescue last year, had been charged with being members of a migrant smuggling ring and were accused of having caused the shipwreck. They had faced several life sentences if convicted.

But a court in the southern Greek city of Kalamata on Tuesday ruled it had no jurisdiction to try the case, as the shipwreck occurred in international waters, none of those involved had been trying to enter Greece, the ship was not Greek flagged and no Greek citizens were on board.

The Egyptians’ defense team had argued that the nine were not crew members of the ill-fated trawler but had been paying passengers who were mistakenly identified as crew by nine other survivors, and that they were being used as scapegoats by authorities eager to put all the blame for the tragedy on the trawler’s crew.

Eight of the nine were released from a jail outside the southern city of Nafplio on Wednesday evening. They were transferred to a police station in the city, where they were to remain in custody overnight pending further procedures. It was not immediately clear when they would be fully released from custody.

The ninth defendant was to be released from a different jail.

The massive loss of life in the sinking of the Adriana in the early hours of June 14, 2023, renewed pressure on European governments to protect the lives of migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach the continent. The European border protection agency Frontex says illegal border detections at EU frontiers increased for three consecutive years through 2023, reaching the highest level since the 2015-2016 migration crisis, driven largely by arrivals by sea.

The exact circumstances of how the Adriana sank remain unclear. The trawler was sailing in international waters but within Greece’s search and rescue area of operations, and a coast guard patrol boat and passing merchant ships were near the vessel for several hours. Greek authorities have said the trawler’s crew repeatedly refused offers of help, insisting it wanted to continue to Italy.

Several survivors have said the boat capsized after the Greek coast guard attempted to tow it, an accusation Greek authorities have vehemently denied. A Naval Court investigation into the sinking is still underway.

Speaking at the courthouse after the case was dismissed on Tuesday, Dimitris Choulis, one of the lawyers in the defense team for the nine Egyptians, said attention should turn to how the Adriana sank.

“The court today had to be very brave to issue this decision, and to say that these people are not the smugglers,” Choulis said.

The lawyer blamed the tragedy on the Greek coast guard and Europe’s migration policies, and said it was essential to “make sure that nothing like that would happen again.”
 

LONDON: The funeral of a British aid worker killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza has taken place in Cornwall, England, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

Jim Henderson, 33, was among seven World Central Kitchen workers who died in the Israeli attack in April.

WCK founder Jose Andres accused Israel of targeting his workers “systematically, car by car” after the attack, claims that were dismissed as “nonsense” by Israeli Minister of Economy Nir Barkat in comments to BBC News.

The killings drew widespread international condemnation and US President Joe Biden accused Israel of not doing enough to protect aid workers and civilians.

An Israeli investigation into the attack blamed a series of “grave errors” by Israel Defense Forces officers, and WCK rejected the investigation as lacking credibility.

One of Henderson’s brothers, Matt, said that the aid worker had achieved “so much in his life in a short period of time,” the BBC said.

His cousin, Helen Moran, spoke on behalf of Henderson’s parents and thanked the people who gathered to pay their respects at Truro Cathedral. About 700 people attended the funeral.

“The family has been deeply moved by the outpouring of support during this difficult time,” Moran said.

“This support has been a source of comfort and a reminder of the impact Jim had upon so many people.

“A son, a fiance, a brother and a friend leaving us at such a young age is always a tragedy.

“To lose someone of James’ extraordinary character and decency overshadows the pain,” she said.

Henderson’s other brother, Dan, said: “I don’t really think we knew how wide a scope of Jim’s friends and people that he had real connections with until something like this happens ... it makes us very proud.”

The grieving family had asked people who wanted to pay their respects to line the route and join them in the cathedral.

Bishop Hugh Nelson said that the service marked a farewell and “the celebration of a good life well-lived.”

Henderson’s role was to ensure the WCK aid convoy traveling in Gaza followed safety procedures and remained on the correct route. The former Royal Marine had been in the territory for just over a week when he was killed.