NICOSIA: A Cypriot court sentenced a Syrian man who captained a migrant boat from Lebanon to three years in prison over causing the death of a young girl from dehydration, authorities said Friday.
A statement by the Cypriot prosecution service said the Famagusta criminal court sentenced the Syrian national, 47, on Thursday after finding him guilty of negligence resulting in the death of a three-year-old Syrian girl, who died from dehydration.
The young girl was among 60 “distressed and dehydrated” Syrians rescued from a crowded wooden boat off the coast of the Mediterranean island on January 24, 2024.
According to the prosecution service, which did not name either the victim or the perpetrator, the “convicted individual had taken on the role of captain of the wooden boat that transported the Syrian migrants”.
Under Cypriot law, the maximum penalty provided for causing death through negligence is four years in prison.
The child, accompanied by her mother, was one of three girls aged three to five who were airlifted to a hospital in the Cypriot capital Nicosia after being found unconscious during a major rescue operation. She died the following day.
The court said the accused failed to ensure the safe navigation of the vessel and to take necessary safety measures for the passengers against potential dangers at sea.
It added that he lacked the necessary qualifications for such a journey, as he attempted to navigate an overloaded boat that did not meet the minimum technical and structural specifications.
“When the boat’s engine broke down, it drifted for six days in open waters, exposed to harsh weather conditions, lacking direction, food, and drinking water.”
“Many passengers resorted to drinking their own urine,” the statement added.
There were 15 children on the boat, including five unaccompanied minors.
The migrants took off from Lebanon about 168 kilometres (104 miles) from Cyprus on January 18, 2024.
Cyprus had for years said it had the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in the European Union, but the government has recently reported a drastic drop in migrant arrivals.