Greek authorities have arrested 94 Egyptians as their boat was sinking south of Crete, said Mohamed Abdel Hakam, assistant foreign minister for consular and expatriate Egyptians’ affairs.
They were irregular immigrants heading to Italy, he added.
The Foreign Ministry and Egyptian Embassy both pushed for their deportation without trial, he said.
Greek authorities will deport 22 of the immigrants on Monday and the rest later. The boat’s four-member crew will be detained pending investigations into charges of human smuggling.
Abdel Hakam said European laws ban irregular immigration and punish anyone who assists undocumented immigrants. He said penalties include imprisonment, fines and deportation.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
