Greek court drops espionage charges against 24 migrant rescuers

LONDON/GENEVA

A Greek court on Friday dropped espionage charges against 24 migrant rescuers, according to local reports.

However, the court noted that the investigation into the criminal charges against the 24 is pending.

The trial attracted harsh criticism from international human rights organizations and NGOs.

The UN Human Rights Council was the latest organization to call Greek authorities to drop the charges Friday morning.

Liz Throssell, the spokeswoman for the UN high commissioner for human rights, said at a news conference that the “long-awaited trial” of the human rights defenders began on Tuesday.

“Trials like this are deeply concerning because they criminalize life-saving work and set a dangerous precedent,” said Throssell.

“Indeed, there has already been a chilling effect, with human rights defenders and humanitarian organizations forced to halt their human rights work in Greece and other EU countries,” she added.

Those facing trial were all members or volunteers with a Greek non-governmental organization (NGO), called Emergency Response Centre International or ERCI.

The NGO helped more than 1,000 people to reach safety and provided survivors with medical and other assistance on the Greek island of Lesvos from 2016 to 2018, many of them believed to be fleeing the war in Syria or conflicts in Africa.

Since then, the ERCI NGO has been forced to close its operations.

“Saving lives and providing humanitarian assistance should never be criminalized or prosecuted. Such actions are, quite simply, a humanitarian and human rights imperative,” Throssell said.

She said the UN Human Rights Office also has long-standing concerns that anti-smuggling legislation in several European countries is being used to criminalize migrants and those who assist them.

“Addressing migrant smuggling ultimately relies on enhancing safe pathways for regular migration,” said Throssell.

“Despite the critical need for life-saving assistance in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, where nearly 500 migrants have died or gone missing since 2021, according to the International Organization for Migration, there are currently no civil search and rescue organizations operating in Greece,” she added.

The spokeswoman said that her office saw on Friday morning that in proceedings in Mytilini on Lesvos, where the trial is taking place, the prosecution had recommended the annulment of some of the charges.

“We would welcome such developments but reiterate our call for all charges against all defendants to be dropped,” she said.

* Magda Panoutsopoulou in Athens contributed to this story