Politics Italy issues arrest warrant for suspected smugglers
The Italian judiciary has issued an arrest warrant for two suspected people smugglers for the deaths of ten people fleeing across the Mediterranean to Europe. The two men from Egypt are accused of being responsible for the migrants' deaths by suffocation, a spokesperson for the judiciary announced on Sunday. Most of the victims came from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
30.06.2024, 16:46
SDA
People often die on the crossing from Africa to Europe in boats that are often barely seaworthy. The dead were discovered in mid-June in the hold of a wooden boat that had set off for Europe from Libya and was then picked up off the Italian island of Lampedusa. There were 54 other refugees on board. The survivors were brought to the island by the coast guard.
According to the Ministry of the Interior in Rome, more than 25,300 people were registered as arriving in Italy via the Mediterranean in the first half of 2024. Compared to the same period last year (62,364 new arrivals), this represents a decrease of around 60 percent. Reducing the number of refugees is one of the most important promises made by right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has been in office since October 2022.
