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A Vietnam court has jailed four people for their role in the deaths of 39 migrants found in a refrigerated truck in Britain last year, state media said.
The deaths of the 31 men and eight women from Vietnam, who were found in a vehicle in Essex near London in October 2019, highlighted the enormous risks of illegal migration to Europe and sparked an international outcry.
The four defendants, the youngest 26 and the oldest 36, received prison terms of between two and a half and seven and a half years by a court in central Ha Tinh province yesterday, according to the official. provincial newspaper.
They were found guilty of “organizing, negotiating illegal emigration,” he said, adding that three others had received suspended sentences.
But Nguyen Dinh Gia, who lost his 20-year-old son Luong in the tragedy, told AFP that he believed the defendants should not have been sentenced to prison.
“The people involved were just trying to help and then the accident happened,” he said, adding that he did not know the trial was taking place.
“He was an adult who made his own decision and voluntarily joined the trip, with the aim of improving his life, earning money to alleviate our poverty.”
Gia said her son wanted to travel to Britain from France, where he had been living illegally since 2018.
The trip to Britain, where she was aiming to find a job at a nail salon, would have cost her around £ 11,000 (€ 12,000).
“It’s been almost a year, but every time I think about this, it still hurts,” Gia said.
Gia’s son and most of the other immigrants came from a handful of poor central provinces, hotspots for illegal immigration to Europe.
The truck carrying the victims, including two 15-year-old children, arrived by ferry from the Belgian port of Zeebrugge in the early morning of October 23.
They died from lack of oxygen and overheating, according to post-mortem examinations.
Several people have been arrested and charged in Britain, France and Belgium in connection with the case, including the truck driver, Maurice Robinson of Co Armagh, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Ronan Hughes, 40, of Co Armagh, also pleaded guilty to manslaughter last month.
Eamonn Harrison of Co Down has pleaded not guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter for the incident.
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