Photo credit: the Hill
A case that is bound to have far-reaching ramifications on how European countries respond to search and rescue operations of migrants taking risky voyages on the Central Mediterranean Sea will soon open in Crotone, Italy.
The Maritime Executive reports that human rights groups have been critical of government efforts and policies that they contend impede the rescue operations.
On January 30, an Italian court will commence the trial of six officers who are accused of delayed rescue operations after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Steccato di Cutro in the region of Calabria in February 2023, causing the deaths of 94 people, including 35 minors. Some 80 people survived the shipwreck, while an unconfirmed number of migrants were never found. The trial has been slated to start on January 14, but was postponed for the replacement of a judge.
In the case, two ItalianCoast Guard officers and four Customs Police officers will be put on trial for negligence and multiple counts of manslaughter. The prosecution cites a failure to inflate and carry out effective operations despite clear indications that the migrants’ essel was in distress.
The case emanates from a delayed rescue operation when a wooden vessel carrying between 180 and 250 people sank in rough weather in the early morning hours of February 26, 2023. It has become known as the “Cutro shipwreck.”
