An Afghan human trafficker and three Bulgarian accomplices have received life sentences over the deaths of 71 migrants who suffocated inside a sealed refrigeration truck abandoned near an Austrian village in 2015.
The ruling on June 20 by the Hungarian appeals court came after the Afghan ring leader, 32-year-old Samsoor Lahoo, and his accomplices were found guilty of organized human trafficking and manslaughter over the August 2015 tragedy.
Initially, the four had been sentenced to 25 years in prison after the court found that the men refused to open the doors to let air in, despite pleas from the people who were suffocating inside.
But the judge presiding over the appeal, Erik Mezolaki, said on June 20 that the harsher sentence better reflected the weight of the crime.
Mezolaki said three of the traffickers would have no possibility of parole. He said the fourth would serve a minimum 30 years in prison.
The three Bulgarian accomplices were identified as Lahoo’s deputy, the truck driver, and the driver of a car that escorted the truck.
The victims were refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
They included eight women, four children, and 59 men.
Afghan, Bulgarians Get Life Sentences Over Deaths Of 71 Migrants
Updated
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Ukraine's Long-Distance Drones Take Toll On Russia's Oil Business -- And War Chest
2NATO Chief Rutte Tells RFE: 'Thoughtful Dialogue' Needed On Ukraine
3Brawl Exposes Growing Anti-Chinese Sentiment In Kyrgyzstan
4Protests Erupt In Bulgaria Over Budget, Government 'Corruption'
5'Weekend Snipers' Claims Reopen Wartime Trauma In Sarajevo
6Polish PM Tusk Says Railway Explosion 'Act Of Sabotage'
7Tehran Pollution Hits 'Alarming' Level In Latest Environmental Crisis
8They Called Him 'Dr. Evil': The Russian Prison Medic Accused Of Torturing Ukrainian POWs
9How Britain’s Disposable Vape Ban Has Boosted Ukraine’s War Effort
10Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Hungarian Service Ceases Operations
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.