ECHR to examine 2013 shooting of farm workers
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) will examine a complaint by 42 Bangladeshi workers against Greece over the violation of European laws prohibiting slavery and forced labor, it was announced Friday.
The case, which concerns the shooting of 28 migrant farm workers who were demanding unpaid wages by foremen at a strawberry farm in the southwestern town of Manolada in April 2013, will be examined after January 20, according to the Greek Council for Refugees, a nongovernmental organization.
“The appeal to the ECHR will hopefully mark a first step in the effort to restore legality and avert similar incidents in the future,” the Athens-based NGO said.
In 2014, a Greek court acquitted the farm owner and a supervisor and sentenced two foremen to prison terms of seven and 14 years on charges of causing grievous bodily harm. The decision prompted an outcry from unions and rights groups.
An appeal against the decision was later turned down by the Supreme Court.
