A group of Bangladeshi workers who were shot at by their Greek employers for demanding unpaid wages have won a case against Greece at Europe’s highest human rights court, reports theguardian.  

The European court of human rights ruled in favour of 42 Bangladeshi nationals and ordered the Greek state to pay them damages of €12,000-€16,000 (£10,000-£14,000) each for having “failed in its obligations to prevent the situation of human trafficking, to protect the victims”, adds the British daily.

The incident in 2013 occurred near the southern Greek town of Manolada, 160 miles (260km) west of Athens, when scores of migrant strawberry pickers were shot at by foremen after demanding delayed pay. The shooting left 35 injured, four critically.

The European case was launched after a Greek court cleared two of the attackers, including the farm owner. Two others, accused of aggravated assault and illegal firearms possession, were jailed for 14 years and seven months and eight years and seven months, but were freed pending appeal.

Morsed Chowdury, the lead applicant in the European case, and the human rights watchdog Amnesty International welcomed the decision taken by the court in Strasbourg, France.

“We are very pleased and excited by today’s judgment. The Greek court’s acquittal of the farmers for the crime of forced labour was a great disappointment to us,” Chowdury said.

“We hope that the Greek government will learn from our experiences and recognise our important role in the Greek economy.”

The shootings were widely publicised, highlighting the frequent mistreatment of migrant workers in Greek farming.

“Today’s judgment is an important vindication for them and their families and will hopefully help prevent future abuse,” Amnesty International’s Gauri van Gulik said.

“Amnesty has met and interviewed the migrant workers about their exploitation in 2013 just after the incident and saw for ourselves their living conditions.”