Greek court drops espionage charges against 24 activists involved in rescuing migrants, after a lengthy trial denounced by rights groups as a sham
The European parliament has branded the trial"the largest case of criminalisation of solidarity in Europe".
In the ruling read to the chamber on Friday, the court admitted procedural faults, including insufficient translation of prosecution documents, and a lack of access to interpreters for the defendants. Among those charged is Syrian swimmer Sarah Mardini, whose family story and dramatic crossing of the Aegean Sea in 2015 inspired the Netflix film The Swimmers. Some 50 humanitarian workers are currently facing prosecution in Greece, following a trend in Italy which has also criminalised the provision of aid to migrants. Part of that strategy involves extending an existing 40-kilometre wall on its border with Türkiye in the Evros region by 80 kilometres.
Earlier in October, it came to the fore through a report by the European Union's anti-fraud office that the bloc's border agency, Frontex, had been working in tandem with Greek authorities to cover up its illegal pushbacks of refugees and migrants into Turkish territorial waters.
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