The trial of six Italian officers for a 2023 shipwreck that killed at least 94 people represents a critical opportunity for justice for migrants and asylum seekers who die at sea. Scheduled to begin on January 30, 2026, in Crotone, Italy, the trial follows a postponement and involves two Coast Guard officers and four Customs Police (Guardia di Finanza) officers accused of negligence and multiple counts of manslaughter in the so-called “Cutro shipwreck.” Human Rights Watch emphasizes that the trial addresses not only individual accountability but also state policies that prioritize deterrence over saving lives.
The ship sank near the village of Cutro on February 26, 2023, in rough weather. Only 80 people survived, while 94 bodies, including 35 children, were recovered. Survivors estimate that the boat carried between 180 and 250 people, primarily from Afghanistan, Syria, and Pakistan. The trial takes place near the site of the sinking, underscoring the tragic proximity of the incident to the judicial proceedings.
Italian authorities had been alerted by the EU border agency Frontex hours before the shipwreck. Despite clear signs of distress, including the lack of life jackets, thermal readings showing a large number of people on board, and worsening weather, Italian authorities did not launch a search-and-rescue operation. Instead, the Customs Police dispatched two patrol boats to intercept the vessel, which returned to port due to rough seas, reflecting a law enforcement approach rather than a life-saving response.
After more than two years of investigation, the Crotone public prosecutor indicted the officers in July 2025. Sixty-five survivors, along with six search-and-rescue organizations—including EMERGENCY, Louise Michel, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Sea-Watch, SOS Humanity, and SOS MEDITERRANEE—participate as civil parties in the case.
The Cutro shipwreck is part of a broader humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean, where over 33,200 people have died or gone missing since 2014. Delayed or inadequate responses by Italy and other EU countries to boats in distress, as in Cutro and the June 2023 shipwreck near Pylos, Greece, have contributed to this high death toll.
Italy is bound by the European Convention on Human Rights, which obliges it to safeguard life, including through timely rescue when lives are at risk, as reaffirmed by the European Court of Human Rights in Safi v. Greece. Additionally, international maritime law, including the International Convention on Safety of Life at Sea and the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, requires prompt action in distress situations. EU regulations also provide guidance on assessing vessel safety, passenger numbers, and weather conditions when determining emergencies.
Human Rights Watch stresses that the case should serve as a warning to Italian and European authorities: when lives are at risk at sea, saving them must be the highest priority.
