A 48-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to three years in prison. He was found guilty of causing the death of a 3-year-old girl after a migrant boat became stranded at sea.

Syrian Captain Sentenced

A court in Cyprus sentenced a Syrian man to three years in prison. He was convicted for the death of a child. The child died of dehydration after being stuck on a boat at sea. The man was the captain of the boat. The boat had 60 people on board. It got stuck in the Mediterranean after its engine failed. The boat was stranded for almost a week.

The court found that the boat did not have necessary equipment. It had no navigation aids or communication tools. The captain told the passengers to throw away their water bottles. This was to hide evidence that the boat left Lebanon. Many passengers drank seawater or their own urine. This made their condition worse.

Authorities found the boat. They sent a helicopter to bring the dying girl to the hospital. Sadly, doctors could not save her.

Dehydration and Chaos on the Migrant Boat

The boat left Lebanon on January 18, 2024. The boat was stuck after its engine broke down. Passengers suffered from dehydration. They had very little water. Some drank seawater, which made them even more sick. The tragic death of the child shows how dangerous these journeys can be.

Cyprus Sees Fewer Migrants Due to Strict Rules

Migrant arrivals in Cyprus have dropped a lot. In 2022, 17,278 migrants arrived. In 2024, only 6,102 came. The government made it harder to enter Cyprus. They stopped processing asylum requests. Last year, they said there were too many applications from Syrian refugees.

After the fall of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, many Syrians want to go home. Nicholas Ioannides, the Deputy Migration Minister, said that 755 Syrians have left Cyprus. More are expected to leave soon.