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Fourteen suspected people smugglers go on trial in Paris for the 2021 English Channel small-boat disaster

Fourteen suspected people smugglers, primarily Afghan nationals, have gone on trial in Paris for their role in the deadliest small-boat disaster in the history of the English Channel. The defendants face charges of manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration as part of an organised criminal group. In November 2021, a substandard, overcrowded inflatable dinghy launched from the French coast and began to deflate and take on water. At least 31 people, including a seven-year-old child, were confirmed dead or missing, with 27 bodies recovered. The victims were mostly Iraqi Kurds, but also included nationals from Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Afghanistan. Only two men survived the journey. Prosecutors argue the defendants were responsible for launching a boat that was unfit for navigation on the open sea and lacked adequate life-jackets. While many defendants deny being smugglers and claim they were themselves migrants, phone records and location tracking linked them to the organisation of the crossings. A UK inquiry found that the deaths were avoidable if British and French authorities had acted sooner. A separate investigation is ongoing in France into seven military personnel for failing to assist persons in danger.

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