ATHENS: Nine Egyptian men who were on board a migrant boat that sank off Greece last year, killing hundreds of people, are to face trial next month, accused of people smuggling, Greek judicial sources said on Friday.
The circumstances of the sinking of the Adriana in June remain a source of dispute between the Greek authorities and groups supporting the rights of survivors and migrants — meaning the trial could be the first opportunity to officially hear the accounts of some of those present at the time.
Survivors have accused the Greek coast guard of capsizing the boat. The authorities, which monitored Adriana for hours, say it overturned when a coast guard vessel was about 70 meters away. The coast guard service has denied any wrongdoing.
It remains unclear what happened in the time between the coast guard being alerted to the presence of the vessel and when it capsized.
In a report in December, EU border agency Frontex — which had spotted the boat from the air before the coast guard — said that Greek authorities failed to reply to its follow-up calls and its offers for assistance. It said it could not conclude what caused the Adriana to capsize.
The overcrowded fishing trawler was carrying hundreds of migrants from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt when it sank off the southern town of Pylos, in international waters, on its way from Libya to Italy. Some 104 men survived and only 82 bodies have been recovered.
It was the worst disaster in years and again highlighted the dangers for migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
The nine Egyptian men, in pre-trial detention since June, have been charged with causing the incident, participating in a criminal organization, migrant smuggling and other charges, one of the sources told Reuters. They have denied any wrongdoing. The trial is set to begin on May 21 in Kalamata.
Rights groups have opposed their detention.
“These survivors deserve support, not persecution. It’s time to drop the charges,” said NGO Legal Center Lesvos. Last year survivors recounted how a doomed attempt by the Greek coast guard to tow the trawler capsized the vessel. Their statements contradict the accounts of the Greek government and the coast guard, which said the boat had refused assistance. In September, 40 survivors filed a lawsuit against Greek authorities accusing them of failing to intervene to rescue those on board and causing the vessel to capsize.
Nine Egyptians to face trial over shipwreck that killed Pakistanis among hundreds of migrants
https://arab.news/5egsw
Nine Egyptians to face trial over shipwreck that killed Pakistanis among hundreds of migrants
- The circumstances of the sinking of the Adriana in June remain a source of dispute between Greek authorities, rights groups
- Survivors have accused the Greek coast guard of capsizing the boat, while the coast guard service has denied any wrongdoing
Pakistan says CPEC has helped bridge cultural and language barriers with China
- Ataullah Tarar suggests Pakistan-China digital platform to counter ‘disinformation’ around CPEC
- People-to-people ties have remained limited between the two states despite strong official relations
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar said on Wednesday the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has brought about a “cultural change,” helping break barriers of language and bringing the two countries closer together.
Pakistan and China have longstanding strategic relations, though much of their interactions have traditionally occurred at the government-to-government level through diplomatic, strategic and economic engagements. People-to-people ties between them have mostly remained limited, though the Pakistani minister said there was a gradual shift in the trend in the wake of the multibillion-dollar economic, infrastructure development and regional connectivity initiative.
Launched in 2015, CPEC includes investments in energy, transport, and industrial zones, and has since become a cornerstone of bilateral ties and Pakistan’s long-term development strategy.
“CPEC in Pakistan has broken a lot of barriers. It has broken the barrier of language, and it has broken the barriers of division. It has brought harmony,” Tarar said while addressing a ceremony organized by the Pakistan-China Institute, a local think tank.
“This corridor brought about a cultural change where we had investments coming in, where we had infrastructure being built, where we had industry being built, where we had airports and seaports being developed.”
He said it was “heartening” to see cultural change in Pakistan, such as a Chinese citizen speaking fluent Urdu or a Pakistani citizen speaking Mandarin.
Tarar said the cultural shift had become part of Pakistan’s ethos as the two countries move forward, describing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2015 visit as a turning point in reviving the economy.
He also maintained CPEC was targeted by a disinformation campaign, suggesting a digital media platform between Pakistan and China to counter the problem.
“I would suggest that maybe the Pakistan-China Institute can come up with a digital media platform to call out fake news and to label fake news circulating around CPEC,” he said, adding the government would fully support the endeavor.
“I think that will go a long way in not only strengthening the media cooperation but also in getting rid of misinformation and stating the correct facts in a very timely manner,” he added.
Tarar said the initiative will help promote a positive narrative around CPEC 2.0, referring to the next phase of the initiative that aims to focus on industrial development in Pakistan.
