US EditionGreece: Aid Workers Cleared of Human Trafficking Charges
- On January 15, 2026, a Greek court on Lesbos acquitted Sarah Mardini, Syrian activist and competitive swimmer, and 23 others, clearing all 24 defendants after a seven-year legal ordeal.
- Seized in August 2018, the arrests stemmed from prosecutors charging 24 people linked to Emergency Response Center International with felonies based on work between 2016 and 2018.
- The court emphasised that the charges rested on a limited legal basis and flimsy evidence, noting prosecutor Dimitris Smyrnis recommended acquittal for lack of independent proof and citing WhatsApp and laundry machines as normal acts.
- Supporters reacted as the courtroom erupted in cheers, while civil society and human-rights observers note search-and-rescue groups in the Aegean Sea have closed operations, chilling humanitarian volunteers and supporters.
- Advocates urged EU action after the European Parliament called this the 'largest case of criminalization of solidarity in Europe', while Amnesty International and Frontline Defenders condemned the trial amid drownings including a 7-year-old girl recovered on January 8.
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51 Articles
Volunteers had rescued refugees trying to reach Greece between 2016 and 2018. Greek justice ended seven years of proceedings on Thursday 15 January and "one of the most serious examples of the criminalization of humanitarian aid in Europe", according to human rights NGOs.
A press review prepared in partnership with The Balkans Courier.
They prevented even more refugees from being killed: this brought an indictment to Lesbo's 24 helpers. Now they were all acquitted, among them is also a German.
A court on the Greek island of Lesbos has acquitted volunteers and activists, including Syrian Sarah Mardini, of the human trafficking charges they had been charged with seven years ago.
Acquittal Triumphs: Aid Workers Cleared of Migrant Smuggling Charges in Greece
In a landmark trial, 24 aid workers involved in refugee rescues in Greece were acquitted of migrant smuggling charges. The case, dismissed by the court, highlights the ongoing tension in EU migration policy amid rising right-wing influence. The verdict was seen as both a relief and a call for reform.
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