ATHENS: Greek police detained nine Egyptians on Thursday saying they could flee the country, despite a court ruling dismissing a case against them over a 2023 shipwreck, one of the deadliest in the Mediterranean.
The disaster shocked Europe and the case has been followed closely in Greece, which has been a gateway to the European Union for thousands of migrants and refugees.
Up to 700 migrants from Pakistan, Syria and Egypt boarded a fishing trawler in Libya that was bound for Italy before sinking off southwestern Greece, last June. Some 104 survivors were rescued and only 82 bodies were recovered.
On Tuesday, a Greek court dismissed charges against the nine men of setting up a criminal group and causing the shipwreck, citing lack of jurisdiction as the disaster occurred in international waters. The court also acquitted them of charges of illegal entry into the country and migrant smuggling.
Following the ruling, the men, who have spent 11 months in pre-trial detention and have pending asylum applications, were transferred to a police station where they remained in custody. It could take months for their applications to be processed.
Russian Marines standing on top of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan , part of the Russian naval detachment...
IS Vice President Kamala Harris with Ukraine's president Zelenskiy at a peace summit in Switzerland. — Reuters...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky poses with other world leaders for a photograph during a peace summit near...
Kenyan troops have been fighting off the threat from Somalia-based Shabaab militants since the year 2000. — AFP...
China's Premier Li Qiang waves as he arrives at Adelaide Airport on June 15, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia. —...
The UK's royal family appears on the Buckingham Palace balcony. — ReutersLONDON:- Kate, Britain’s Princess of...