Nine Egyptian men are to remain in custody in Greece despite a court ruling dismissing the case against them over the 'Pylos' shipwreck in 2023.
Two days after a court in Kalamata acquitted nine men of charges in connection with a shipwreck in June 2023 in which up to 700 people died, police detained the Egyptian nationals saying they might try to flee the country.
The men were cleared on Tuesday of charges of setting up a criminal group and causing the shipwreck, the court citing lack of jurisdiction as the disaster happened in international waters. They were also acquitted of charges of illegal entry and migrant smuggling.
The Adriana fishing trawler, which had set out from Libya carrying hundreds of people bound for Italy, sank in deep waters off the Greek coast on June 14. The majority of the passengers – mostly Pakistani nationals – died. Only 82 bodies were recovered.
104 people survived the disaster, including the nine Egyptians aged between 21 and 41 who were charged soon after the incident.
The case of the 'Pylos 9' has been followed closely in Greece and internationally.
The accused men, who spent 11 months in pre-trial detention and have asylum applications in Greece pending, were jubilant when the court dismissed their case on Tuesday.
Also read: Greece: Court drops migrant shipwreck charges against 'Pylos 9'
Plan to appeal detention order
Having expected to be released this week, the men will remain in custody. Police say they are a flight risk and will be detained until their asylum claims have been processed, which could take months.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, one of the men’s lawyers, Natasha Dailiani, said the decision was "tragic and unacceptable," adding that they should have been freed and that they plan to appeal the detention order.
"It is inhumane to hold those people in detention after a court dismissed the charges against them and since they have already spent 11 months in prison in vain," she said.
Reuters was unable to obtain immediate comment from police authorities on the case.
Another lawyer involved in the defence, Dimitris Choulis, said the men were being punished for daring to celebrate their victory.
Choulis said there are 2,000 other migrants detained in Greek prisons for wrongful convictions.
The cause of the Pylos tragedy has not conclusively been determined, but survivors have blamed the Greek coast guard for causing the boat to capsize.