Name: Greek court clears humanitarian workers of migrant smuggling charges
Uploaded: 2026-01-16T18:10:08.867Z
Duration: 1 min 1 s
Description: After more than seven years of legal limbo, a Greek court has acquitted 24 defendants for charges related to smuggling migrants into Greece.

After more than seven years of legal limbo, a Greek court has acquitted 24 defendants for charges related to smuggling migrants into Greece.

Athens

A Greek Court of Appeal has acquitted 24 humanitarian workers who were on trial for their involvement in search and rescue operations on the island of Lesbos. The group had faced serious charges, including smuggling migrants, membership in a criminal organization, facilitating the entry of third-country nationals, and money laundering, stemming from their activities between 2016 and 2021.

After more than seven years of legal proceedings, the court determined that the defendants' actions were intended to provide humanitarian aid rather than commit criminal acts. If convicted, the group could have faced up to 20 years in prison.

Greek court clears humanitarian workers of migrant smuggling charges

24 humanitarian workers on trial for participating in search and rescue operations have been acquitted by a Greek court. They were accused of smuggling migrants on the island of Lesbos between 2016 and 2021. After more than seven years of legal limbo, the Court of Appeal cleared the defendants of charges, which included membership of a criminal organization, facilitating the entry of third-country nationals and money laundering. Obviously, it's great that we've been acquitted, but it should never have gotten this far. People drown all the time on these islands, and there are fewer and fewer people doing search and rescue, not because we were convicted, but because the prosecution ever started. The damage has been done. The court decided that the defendants' intention was not to commit criminal acts, but to provide humanitarian aid. The group would have faced up to 20 years in prison if they had been convicted.

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