A Paris court has convicted and sentenced 13 men for their roles in the deadliest small-boat crossing by migrants attempting to reach the United Kingdom from France. The November 2021 tragedy in the English Channel claimed the lives of 31 people, most of them Iraqi Kurds.

On Wednesday, the court found six of the defendants guilty of involuntary homicide and handed down prison terms ranging from six to ten years. Prosecutors argued that the men organised the crossing using a flimsy vessel unfit for open-sea navigation, overloaded with 31 passengers and lacking adequate life jackets.

The remaining seven defendants were convicted on lesser charges and received sentences of up to four years. In total, 14 people stood trial, one of whom was acquitted.

The court stated that the smugglers were motivated by greed and were “profiting from the vulnerability of exile candidates.” “When it costs the lives of 31 people and the sea becomes a cemetery, there is a price, and the court said that the price they had to pay was justice and prison time,” said Emmanuel Daoud, a lawyer representing victims’ families.

The migrants drowned after their UK-bound boat capsized in the English Channel after departing from northern France. Four bodies were never recovered, while two men survived the disaster.

Seven military personnel are still under investigation for allegedly failing to assist the survivors. All of them deny any wrongdoing.

The sentencing coincides with the end of a pilot scheme between France and the UK that allowed Britain to return migrants from France deemed not to have the legal right to remain. In exchange, the UK accepted an equivalent number of migrants whose asylum claims were likely to be granted.

The scheme was due to expire on Thursday. However, unverified reports suggest the UK government wanted the programme to continue. The UK Interior Ministry confirmed earlier on Wednesday that new applications were no longer being accepted.

Source: www.aljazeera.com