Last week the Italian Supreme Court upheld the 30-year sentence given to Turab Ahmed Sheikh, a Pakistani married to a Maltese woman, who was found responsible for the tragedy which took place on December 24, 1996 between Malta and Sicily which left around 300 immigrants dead.

Turab Ahmed Sheikh had been sentenced to 30 years imprisonment by the Court of Assize of Appeal of Photo taken from http://maltatragedymission.org/Catania. He had challenged the verdict which was rejected last week.

The Pakistani, who is married to a Maltese woman and who for some time ran a restaurant in Malta, had arranged the crew for the small ship that sank between Malta and Sicily early Christmas Day of 1996, killing the majority of the immigrants onboard the boat.

During the court proceedings he had admitted that the plan for the shipment of the immigrants was drawn at his restaurant and he was also in contact with the crew onboard the ship until it sank.

Over 550 immigrants had left Marsaxlokk onboard the Yiohan and headed to Sicily in December 1996. They were transferred onto another boat which was meant to land them in Sicily, but the 2 vessels soon collided and most of the immigrants on board died at sea.

Meanwhile The Times of India reported that the Malta Boat Tragedy Mission, which has been pursuing the cause of justice for the victims, will be setting up a memorial at Hoshiarpur, in the Indian state of Punjab, in memory of the victims.

The captain of the ship Eftihio Zervoudakis is also facing mass-murder charges.

di-ve.com