An Italian court has sentenced a Turkish human trafficker to 20 years imprisonment over a shipwreck that killed at least 94 migrants, according to media reports.
The man, identified as 29-year-old Gun Ufuk, was found guilty on counts of causing the shipwreck of a vessel packed with migrants and participating in illegal human trafficking networks by the court in Crotone, southern Italy.
Ufuk was also handed a €3 million fine and ordered to compensate the victims’ families.
He was one of four suspected human traffickers aboard a migrant ship that sunk during a storm off the Calabrian coast on 26 February 2023.
The capsized vessel carried roughly 180 migrants, hailing from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Syria, including numerous children. It had set sail from Turkish shores before sinking shortly after.
One alleged smuggler died in the shipwreck, while two others have faced court proceedings.
In his defence, Ufuk asserted in court that his role was solely the ship’s mechanic, not the pilot.
He claimed political asylum, stating, "I had to flee Turkey due to political reasons". He also claimed that he had been jailed for criticising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
This incident caused Italy’s far-right Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to pledge tougher measures on people smugglers.
Winning the 2022 election on a strict anti-migrant policy, her party had committed to curbing maritime migrant arrivals on the peninsula.
