Greek court drops spying charges against activist migrant rescue team

A Greek court has dropped espionage charges against 24 activists involved in rescuing migrants, after a lengthy trial denounced by rights groups as a sham.

In the ruling read to the chamber, the court admitted procedural faults, including insufficient translation of prosecution documents, and a lack of access to interpreters for the defendants.

The activists are still facing an investigation on charges of human trafficking, money laundering, fraud and the unlawful use of radio frequencies. The ruling came just hours after the United Nations called for the charges to be dropped.

The European parliament has described the trial, which began in November 2021, as “the largest case of criminalisation of solidarity in Europe”.

Among those charged was Syrian swimmer Sarah Mardini, whose family story and dramatic crossing of the Aegean Sea in 2015 inspired the Netflix film The Swimmers.

Fifty humanitarian workers are facing prosecution in Greece, after a trend in Italy that has also criminalised the provision of aid to migrants.

Greece’s conservative government, elected in 2019, has vowed to make the country “less attractive” to migrants. Part of that strategy involves extending an existing 40km (25-mile) wall on the Turkish border in the Evros region by 80km.

Tens of thousands of people fleeing Africa and the Middle East seek to enter Greece, Italy and Spain in the hope of better lives in the European Union.

Despite in-depth investigations by media and NGOs, alongside abundant testimony from alleged victims, Greek authorities have consistently denied pushing back people trying to land on its shores.