Bashar al-Assad’s family reportedly benefits from the money paid by migrants to reach Libya and subsequently Europe by sea. This also includes the unfortunate incident involving nearly 700 migrants whose boat sank last week in Greek waters. Cham Wings, the exclusive carrier for these migrants, played a role in the tragedy.
Last week, a boat carrying hundreds of asylum seekers from Syria, Egypt, Pakistan, and other countries sank off the coast of Greece, resulting in the tragic deaths of 82 individuals. Despite slim chances of finding more survivors after rescuing 104 people, Greek authorities are continuing their search.
Survivor testimonies indicate that smugglers charge approximately $10,000 per person, a portion of which allegedly goes to Bashar al-Assad’s family, as reported by the German newspaper Badische Zeitung.
According to the accounts of survivors, a significant number of Pakistanis departed from Karachi airport, transited through Damascus airport, and then joined large groups of Syrians at Benghazi airport in Libya, facilitated by Cham Wings, an airline associated with the Assad regime.
Cham Wings operates two weekly flights between Karachi and other regular flights to Benghazi airport in Libya. The ticket price per person is around 1,500 euros. Confirming these claims, the newspaper Malta Today reveals that passengers departing from Damascus airport must pay exorbitant amounts in cash to secure a ticket on the “semi-governmental” Cham Wings Airlines.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
