Yesterday, The court on the Greek island of Lesbos decided to postpone the case involving 24 humanitarian workers, including volunteer search-and-rescue workers Sarah Mardini and Seán Binder, who face the risk of 25 years in prison for aiding and defending the rights of refugees.
Amid calls for dropping the charges, supporters took to the streets in cities across Europe. Before yesterday’s trial, the European Parliament had condemned the prosecution case as the biggest criminalization of solidarity work underway on the continent.
Human rights groups described the charges as “farcical.” Outside the neoclassical courthouse building on the island of Lesbos, Greece, protesters held up banners reading “Saving lives is not a crime.”
The case was suspended after the judge ruled the court was not competent to hear the case. Consequently, it will be referred to the Court of Appeal, as one of the defendants is a lawyer. The local court on the island of Lesbos does not have jurisdiction to try lawyers.
Among the humanitarian workers accused by the Greek authorities are Syrian-born swimmer Sarah Mardini, whose sister Yusra was on the refugee swimming team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and Seán Binder, a 27-year-old law student known for his support of refugee rights. Due to Sarah Mardini’s travel ban, she was unable to attend the trial.
Speaking before the court yesterday, Seán Binder stated, “Today’s decision is further proof of the absurdity of this case. All we have done is assist people seeking safety at a time of need. After today’s decision, our lives are once again left on hold.”
Amnesty International criticized Greece yesterday, with Giorgos Kosmopoulos, Senior Campaigner on Migration for Amnesty International, stating, “These trumped-up charges are farcical and should never have resulted in Sarah and Seán appearing in court. Today’s adjournment means that having already waited over three years, this ordeal will continue to drag on for Sarah and Seán, leaving them in limbo. We call for the Greek authorities to uphold their human rights obligations, and drop the charges against Sarah and Seán.”
The case is seen as emblematic of migrant solidarity workers who are now facing unprecedented scrutiny in Europe, with 180 individuals working in NGOs across 13 countries currently facing criminalization.
“We stand alongside Seán and Sarah and will continue campaigning until justice is fully delivered, their human rights are respected and upheld and all charges against them dropped,” added Kosmopoulos.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, described the trial as an attempt to intimidate aid workers and characterized the charges as politically motivated.
In recent years, hundreds of thousands have embarked on short but perilous journeys across the Aegean Sea to reach northern and western Europe in search of a better life. Unfortunately, hundreds of individuals have tragically lost their lives at sea, as boats carrying refugees capsized or sank.
Greece has been accused of conducting widespread pushback operations and summary deportations without allowing migrants to access asylum procedures, which constitutes a violation of international law.
The deterrence operations carried out by the European Union are considered violations of international conventions on the protection of refugees, which stipulate that “No Contracting State shall expel or return (“refouler”) a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his/her life or freedom would be threatened on account of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.”
Human rights organizations have also documented and criticized Greece’s harsh migration policies. In a report published in September, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) revealed that migrants continue to face difficult conditions and violations of their rights in detention and reception centers at the EU borders. The report also highlighted that the return of migrants to Turkey has become an actual border policy for Greece, with ongoing torture, mistreatment, and deterrence operations.
