Huelva Fishing Boat Skipper Detained In Mauritania Accused Of Killing Four Local Sailors In A Collision

A Spanish fishing boat captain has been detained in the city of Nouadhibou in Mauritania since July 14.

He is accused of causing the death of four sailors from the African country after his vessel collided with a canoe in which the victims were sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.

Based in the Canary Islands, his defence council denounced this Friday, August 4, that the Huelva-born fisherman has not been provided with food and that he is being held in ‘subhuman conditions’.

The skipper – who reportedly has a lot of experience and hours of navigation – was working on a 50-metre-long fishing vessel at the time of the alleged incident. Its crew was made up of 26 members from different countries, including Morocco, Senegal and Mauritania.

His lawyer hopes the case will be resolved soon

His lawyer stated that the facts for which he is accused are ‘totally uncertain’ and that, after 21 days in detention, ‘it seems that the situation will soon be resolved’.

He also indicated that they have evidence to demonstrate the innocence of the skipper, since: ‘the more than 20 crew members maintain that there was no collision with that fishing boat’.

The lawyer explained that his client was having: ‘a very bad time’, and was experiencing ‘a great emotional impact and a lot of anguish’.

The locally-appointed lawyer does not speak Spanish

A local lawyer who was appointed to represent the skipper apparently doesn’t speak Spanish, plus, ‘they have barely given him any documentation about their case’.

In addition: ‘they did not provide him with food and they keep him detained in subhuman conditions’. His lawyer is confident however that: ‘in two or three days he could be back in Spain’.

According to what has been stated by the defendant’s lawyer, it seems that on some occasions: ‘they fake or simulate a collision that is not true, in order to demand compensation from the company for the families of the victims’.

As a result, if the ship’s company does not indemnify the skipper, they keep him there. ‘This is not the first time that something like this has happened’, he lamented in statements to Europa Press, as reported by okdiario.com.