Fourteen suspected people smugglers on trial over Channel small boats disaster
By Hugh Schofield, Paris correspondent, BBC News
At least 30 men, women and children drowned in November 2021 when their motorised dinghy deflated and started taking on water halfway between France and the UK. Fourteen defendants, mainly Afghan nationals, are on trial in Paris for their role in the tragedy.
They face charges of manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration as part of an organised criminal group. Most deny the accusations, and two remain at large, tried in absentia.
The boat set off from the French coast on the evening of 23 November 2021, but encountered difficulties in the middle of the Channel. Occupants entered the water to lessen the weight, but many drowned due to the cold. Only two men survived.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants provided a "small boat of poor quality, unfit to navigate at sea, overloaded and equipped with inadequate life-jackets." Twenty-seven bodies were recovered, and four remain missing.
The victims hailed from diverse backgrounds, including Iraqi Kurds, Somalis, Ethiopians, Egyptians, and Afghans. The youngest victim was seven years old.
Some family members attended the trial’s opening in Paris, which is expected to last three weeks.
"The smugglers know perfectly well what they are doing," said Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer representing many of the families. "They take the deliberate, conscious risk of sending migrants to their deaths."
The defendants are accused of organising the journey, lodging and transporting the migrants, providing the boat, and handling payment. However, many defend themselves, claiming they were migrants themselves and acted under the instructions of others.
The disaster prompted investigations on both sides of the Channel, raising questions about the failure of French and British boats to rescue those in peril despite distress calls from the dinghy. In France, seven military personnel are under investigation for possible charges of failing to assist persons in danger.
A UK inquiry found that HM Coastguard in Dover lacked capacity due to staff shortages, while a surveillance aircraft was not deployed due to poor weather conditions. It also revealed a prevailing belief that migrants calling from small boats often exaggerated the situation, leading to an underestimation of the emergency.
