The accused, including Syrian refugee Sarah Mardini and Irishman Sean Binder, were among those providing humanitarian assistance in Europe’s migration crisis
Twenty four former aid workers accused of facilitating the illegal entrance of migrants into Greece, and other crimes that carry lengthy prison terms, are set to appear in court on Lesbos in a trial being closely watched internationally.
Human rights defenders from around the world, including Sarah Mardini, the Syrian refugee immortalised in the Netflix movie, The Swimmers, are slated to take the stand when proceedings before a court of appeals begin in the island’s capital, Mytilene, on Thursday.
“After years of unjustifiable delays we expect the trial on felony charges to finally start,” said Zacharias Kesses, the lawyer representing six of the defendants including Mardini. “At the heart of this case is an attempt by authorities to criminalise humanitarian assistance so that all of these aid organisations leave Lesbos.”
In 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, Lesbos, which lies within view of the Turkish coast, was on the frontline of the greatest movement of people since the second world war.
