Prosecutors say Tewelde Goitom, also known as Amanuel Walid, ran an operation bringing East African migrants to Europe under horrific conditions, demanding huge sums of money from their relatives to free them from camps in Libya.
Breakdown
- A Dutch court opened the trial of an Eritrean man accused of involvement in a migrant smuggling network.
- Prosecutors allege Teweel de Goitom, also known as Emmanuel Walid, led an operation bringing East African migrants to Europe under harsh conditions and demanded large sums from their families. 9s
- The prosecution aims to address global migration issues, but the defense argues this is beyond the scope of criminal law. 24s
- The accused claims he is a victim of mistaken identity and was previously extradited from Ethiopia, where he was convicted of similar crimes. 56s
- The case is one of the largest human smuggling trials in the Netherlands and will continue for three weeks. 1m 8s