Greek Court Acquits Aid Workers of Human Trafficking Charges

Fri Jan 16 2026 03:44:33 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A group of aid workers in Greece have been acquitted of human trafficking charges following a lengthy trial that drew international attention. The former volunteers were accused of aiding migrants on the island of Lesbos during a humanitarian crisis.

A court in Greece has cleared a group of aid workers of human trafficking charges, stating their actions were humanitarian in nature. The 24 volunteers had faced severe accusations, including human trafficking and facilitating illegal entries, stemming from their rescue efforts for migrants between 2015 and 2018. Following extensive criticism of the case from humanitarian and human rights organizations, the presiding judge emphasized that their goal was to save lives, not to engage in criminal activities. This ruling could reshape perceptions of humanitarian work in Europe amid ongoing migration challenges.

A group of aid workers who were put on trial in Greece for rescuing migrants on the island of Lesbos have been acquitted of all charges.

The 24 former volunteers were arrested seven years ago - accused of human trafficking and other offences - and could have faced up to 20 years in jail.

They had worked for an NGO that rescued asylum-seekers at risk of drowning between 2015 to 2018, when hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed the narrow straits from Turkey to Greece.

Their case was widely criticised by aid agencies and human rights campaigners as an attempt to criminalise humanitarian aid, and was seen as having profound implications for migration policy across Europe.

The defendants, who worked for the Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI), included the former Syrian migrant and competitive swimmer Sara Mardini, who returned to Lesbos to rescue other refugees, a story depicted in the Netflix drama, The Swimmers. They were arrested in 2018 and were previously cleared of other accusations, including espionage, in 2023, with their trial on remaining charges only beginning last month.

All defendants are acquitted of the charges because their aim was not to commit criminal acts but to provide humanitarian aid, presiding judge Vassilis Papathanassiou told the court on Thursday. Prosecutor Dimitris Smyrnis recommended their acquittal, stressing that no independent basis establishing the criminal liability of the defendants has been demonstrated.

Throughout the trial, evidence was presented, including testimonies from senior police officers regarding the defendants' use of encrypted messaging services to coordinate rescue efforts. However, it was noted that they had cooperated with Greek coast guard authorities.

The judge concluded that a communication group on the internet cannot be regarded as a criminal organisation, asserting that waiting to rescue a human life cannot be considered facilitation of illegal entry. He further added that none of the defendants acted to help individuals evade inspection by authorities.

Zacharias Kesses, the attorney representing Sara Mardini and Sean Binder, expressed disbelief at the time taken for the prosecution to realize the lack of substance in their accusations. Meanwhile, Binder conveyed a mixture of relief and anger at the lengthy ordeal, having spent years in uncertainty regarding his future.

Eve Geddie of Amnesty International remarked on the importance of the verdict, hoping it would encourage solidarity and compassion towards humanitarian efforts across Europe.

A BBC radio documentary titled Assignment: Greece-Rescuers on Trial will explore this case further, airing on January 20, 2026.