Migrant workers burned alive for demanding fair pay

Rome — Four young migrant farm workers, three from Afghanistan and one from Pakistan, were burned alive in a horrific attack in southern Italy after allegedly demanding to be paid for their work picking strawberries, prosecutors say.

The victims were identified as Ullah Ismat Qiemi, 19, Amin Fazal Khogjani, 28, and Safi Iayjad, 27, all Afghan nationals of Pashtun origin, and Waseem Khan, 29, a Pakistani national. Investigators allege the men were locked inside a minivan at a service station along State Road 106 near Amendolara in Calabria, doused with petrol and set alight.

Two Pakistani nationals, Safeer Ahmed and Ali Raza, have been arrested and are being held on charges of multiple aggravated murder.

A fifth worker, 35 year old Mohammad Taj Alamyar, survived the attack after managing to escape from the vehicle despite suffering burns to his arms and hands. Speaking to investigators, he described the ordeal as “hell” and provided a chilling account of the moments leading up to the deaths of his companions.

The five men shared a house in nearby Villapiana with other migrant labourers, living in cramped conditions and surviving on seasonal agricultural work. Like many migrant workers in southern Italy, they had travelled thousands of kilometres in search of employment and a better future, hoping to support families back home.

According to Alamyar's testimony, the workers had endured months of exploitation, threats and intimidation within what he described as a network of illegal labour brokers operating between Calabria and neighbouring Basilicata. He told investigators that while accommodation and food were provided, the workers allegedly received little or no pay for their labour and were charged five euros a day for transport to the fields where they harvested strawberries.

Tensions reportedly escalated when the workers demanded the wages they believed they were owed. An argument followed, culminating in the deadly attack at a roadside service station between Amendolara and Roseto Capo Spulico.

Prosecutors believe the killings were linked to a dispute over unpaid wages, though investigations remain ongoing. Authorities are examining the broader network of labour recruitment that brought the men to the area and the conditions under which they were working.

The case has reignited concerns about the persistence of illegal gangmaster practices in southern Italy's agricultural sector, where migrant workers are often vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. Several investigations in recent years have uncovered networks accused of controlling labour recruitment through intimidation, debt and coercion.

Trade unions, migrant rights organisations and local community leaders have expressed outrage at the killings, calling for stronger protections for agricultural workers and tougher action against illegal labour networks.

For many, the tragedy is a stark reminder of the hidden workforce that helps sustain Italy's agricultural economy, often under conditions far removed from public view. Four young men who came to Italy seeking work and a better future instead lost their lives in circumstances investigators have described as exceptionally brutal.

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