The witness, named Faizi H, was one of the survivors of the shipwreck that took place in February 2023.

"A policeman who was questioning me told me that the person in the photo was the captain of the ship and to sign next to the photo. And that is what I did," said Faizi H.

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His accusation was made during a trial in Crotone involving three alleged human smugglers. The defendants --Sami F. a 50-year-old Turkish citizen, Khalid A. 25, and Ishaq H. 22, both Pakistani-- are accused of culpable shipwreck, aiding and abetting illegal immigration and manslaughter in connection with another crime.

Survivor's statements raise doubts

The statements made by the survivor could cast doubt on the recognition by witnesses of the people accused of being the smugglers. This led both court president Edoardo D'Ambrosio and public prosecutor Pasquale Festa to ask the witness repeatedly to explain better what he had just said.

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Faizi H then repeated that the photo of Sami F. designated as "ship captain" had been indicated to him by the policeman questioning him. "They told me to sign next to the photo" of the defendant, he said, before adding that "I was not forced to do so."

The translation of Faizi H's statements --especially those regarding the accusation of the Pakistanis having allegedly helped to steer the boat-- have repeatedly been disputed by one of the defendants, Khalid A, who has learned Italian while in jail.

Defense and prosecution clash over use of photos

The hearing, held via a video connection with Hamburg, where the survivors of the shipwreck that testified are, was marked by a clash between the defense team and the prosecution over the use of the photos shown to the witnesses for recognition.

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The lawyers Salvatore Perri and Teresa Paladini claimed that the use of the photos was inadmissible, a claim that was rejected by the panel of judges.

The court president also proposed relying on a process known as "informal recognition", where cameras would be pointed at the defendants. The defense lawyers opposed that.