Shipwreck in the English Channel in 2021: six convictions for involuntary manslaughter

Six men were found guilty of involuntary homicide on Wednesday at the trial of the worst sinking of a migrant boat, which occurred in November 2021 in the English Channel, and sentenced to sentences ranging from 6 to 10 years of imprisonment by the Paris criminal court.

Among the eight other men who were tried in this "smugglers' trial", one was acquitted and sentences ranging from six months' suspended prison sentence to four years' imprisonment were handed down by the court, which judged that this "unprecedented catastrophe" which left 31 dead had been caused by "individuals driven by greed, with disregard for human life".

“The decision is a relief for all the civil parties”

Six arrest warrants were issued at the end of the trial, against two of the main smugglers, an Iraqi and an Afghan on the run who were tried in absentia, and against four other defendants who did not appear at the hearing.

The only defendant who appeared in detention, an Iraqi, was sentenced to 7 years in prison, and a committal warrant was ordered against another Iraqi, who was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

“The decision is a relief for all the civil parties because it confirms the criminal liability of smugglers,” reacted Me Matthieu Chirez, lawyer for 112 civil parties, welcoming that the trial made it possible to “humanize the victims’ families”.