Francesco Schettino, the captain of the cruise ship Costa Concordia that sank in 2012 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison, has rejected his application for reopening his trial. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg rejected the captain’s request.
“The Court of Justice considers that, taking into account all the elements it has, there has been no apparent violation of rights and freedoms in the trials so far,” emphasized the Strasbourg court. Schettino’s lawyer Saverio Senese had argued that his client could not be held solely responsible for the accident. Schettino’s trial was also heavily influenced by a violent media campaign against his client.
Schettino was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2017 and has been in prison in Rome ever since. In January 2012, the cruise ship “Costa Concordia” hit a rock off the island of Giglio and capsized. 32 of the more than 4,200 people on board died. There were also 77 Austrians on board, all of whom were able to survive.
In May 2017, the Supreme Court de facto confirmed the sentence to which the captain had already been sentenced in 2015 and 2016.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
