Greek acquittal ends migrant-rescue case in Lesbos
A Greek court on Thursday acquitted a group of rescue volunteers who aided migrants on the island of Lesbos, ending a case that drew criticism from international human rights groups. The 24 defendants included Syrian competitive swimmer Sarah Mardini, who was arrested in 2018 and whose ordeal later inspired the 2022 Netflix sporting drama “The Swimmers.”
The court ruled that volunteers with Emergency Response Centre International, a Greek nonprofit, were not guilty on charges of facilitating illegal entry and forming a criminal organization. Supporters clapped and cheered the acquitted volunteers as they emerged from the court building, and many members of the group spent the evening going for a celebratory night-time swim in the island port.
Mardini: helping people was not a crime
After the decision, Mardini said, “We didn’t do anything illegal.” She also added, “If helping people is a crime, then we are all guilty.”
The ruling follows an earlier acquittal on related charges in separate trials, according to the reporting. The prosecutor had urged acquittal as well, saying the charges lacked evidence and pointing to what the prosecution described as a pattern of alerting port authorities to approaching boats.
Human rights groups call the case a vindication
Human rights groups welcomed the court’s decision. Eva Cosse, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the acquittals were a vindication for the defendants while also “bittersweet,” describing the group’s treatment during the case.
“Two dozen people were subjected to a seven-year legal ordeal on baseless charges for saving lives,” Cosse said.
Background: refugee journey and volunteer rescue work
The case centered on Mardini and others associated with rescue efforts in Lesbos. The AP reported that Mardini fled war in Syria in 2015 with her younger sister and fellow swimmer Yusra Mardini, who later competed in the first ever refugee team at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The sisters survived a dangerous sea crossing from Turkey to Lesbos, and later described swimming for hours to keep an overcrowded dinghy afloat. After settling in Germany, the older sister returned to Lesbos for volunteer work, and was jailed for more than three months in pre-trial detention following her arrest in 2018.
Decision arrives amid EU crackdown plans
Thursday’s decision was announced as Greece and several other European Union governments are intensifying a crackdown on irregular migration, with plans to expand deportations for people whose asylum claims are rejected.
In response, Eve Geddie, a senior official at Amnesty International, urged European governments to safeguard humanitarian assistance. “We hope today’s decision sends a strong signal to Greece and other European countries that solidarity, compassion and defending human rights should be protected and celebrated, not punished,” she said.