Greek report: Boy said to be 13 arrested in case of boat that left eastern Libya
Libya – The English-language Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that Greek authorities have arrested a boy from South Sudan, said to be 13 years old, on suspicion of steering a small boat carrying 34 migrants on a journey from eastern Libya to Crete across the Mediterranean.
Passengers rescued south of Gavdos
The report, which Al-Marsad followed and whose main points it translated, said the Greek coastguard stated that other passengers identified the boy as the one who had been steering the boat.
The vessel was spotted 32 nautical miles south of Gavdos island, off Crete’s southern coast, before a patrol ship belonging to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) rescued all those on board — 33 men and one woman — according to the report.
Charges and questions over age
The newspaper said the boy faces charges of violating immigration laws, facilitating illegal entry and endangering the lives of the other passengers, noting that how his stated age was verified remains unclear.
It added that migrant-smuggling gangs use South Sudanese teenagers to steer dilapidated boats on long and dangerous voyages, and referred to the arrest of another teenager aged 17.
The report considered the case of the boy said to be 13 among the youngest of its kind recorded in such cases.
