Lesbos court acquits 24 volunteers, including Sara Mardini, of migrant-smuggling charges

A criminal court in Lesbos acquitted 24 former volunteers, including the refugee-turned campaigner Sara Mardini, of all charges related to rescuing migrants at sea, lawyers who attended the hearing said. The defendants had faced charges that carried up to 20 years in prison, including facilitating illegal entry, money-laundering and membership of a criminal organization.

They worked with the now-defunct Greek nonprofit Emergency Response Center International and had been prosecuted after helping migrants during the 2015-2016 refugee crisis. Defense lawyers Zacharias Kesses and Evita Papakiriakidou said the court found the volunteers aimed to provide humanitarian aid rather than commit crimes.

Court officials declined to comment by phone because the judges have yet to formally issue the verdict in writing. Mr. Kesses called the decision a "courageous ruling" and said it prevented the creation of a dangerous precedent; the lawyers said the verdict was final and could not be appealed.

The trial capped a judicial process that began with arrests in 2018 and the throwing out of earlier misdemeanor charges, including espionage, in early 2023. Rights groups welcomed the acquittal but warned that tougher Greek migration laws and other measures have curtailed independent rescue work; a 2023 New York Times investigation, the outlet found, said Greek Coast Guard officers had rounded up asylum seekers and abandoned them at sea.

Key Topics

World, Sara Mardini, Lesbos, Emergency Response Center, Zacharias Kesses, Evita Papakiriakidou