"The two Pakistanis were in charge of the passengers but were also passengers themselves," said Gun Ufuk, a Turkish citizen sentenced to 20 years in prison for a shipwreck on February 26, 2023.

The statement came during a hearing as part of a fast-track trial held on September 25 in front of the Crotone court in the southern Italian region of Calabria.

U. gave statements in defense of Sami F., a 51-year-old Turkish national who is one of the three defendants in the trial. The others are the Pakistani nationals Khalid A., 26, and Hasab H., 23.

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Request denied due to 'lack of medical documentation'

The hearing began with a request for a psychiatric assessment by the lawyer Teresa Palladini to the judicial panel chaired by Edoardo D'Ambrosio. "I am unable to make him understand the risk he is running," the lawyer said. "I asked whether he wanted to give any spontaneous statements, and he told me he would dance."

On the basis of opposition from public prosecutor Pasquale F., the court denied the request due to "lack of medical documentation."

The questioning of U. was lengthy due to difficulties encountered in translation.

The Turkish national reiterated that he had been on board the Summer Love boat as a mechanic in exchange for not having to pay for the trip.

"I met Sami F.," he said, "on Summer Love when we left from Izmir to assist a first boat that was having difficulties and where there were other migrants."

U. said F. was not among the smugglers.

"He was seated behind without doing anything and he did not speak to the passengers since he did not understand their language. He never gave orders to anyone and only spoke to us. He told me he was a writer and wanted to go to France where his brother was," U. said. He added that he had been told by one of the smugglers that F. had paid for the journey.

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Statements and objections

Prosecutor Festa asked U. for clarifications on the position of the two Pakistanis.

"The boat was steered by Mohamed A. (already sentenced to 20 years) and Guler B. (who died in Steccato di Cutro), who took turns. They were the two in charge of the passengers. They spoke to them if they wanted something," he added.

"They steered the boat."

The statement was objected to by Khalid A. -- who learned Italian in jail -- who yelled that "he is responsible for killing over a 100 people. I did not flee, unlike him."

A. added that "I fought with him in jail."

Responding to questions from the lawyer Salvatore Perri, who is defending A. and H., the witness said: "A. spoke Turkish and acted as an interpreter with us. B. and Mohamed gave orders to the Pakistanis" to communicate with the other passengers.

The hearing with concluding statements and sentencing requests from the public prosecutor will be held on November 6.

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