The acquittal of 24 former NGO aid workers in Greece made headlines around the world. International media called it a historic ruling in the biggest criminal case ever involving the criminalisation of humanitarian aid in Europe. But while the aid workers cautiously hoped for a breakthrough shortly after the ruling, reality quickly caught up with them.
While the court in Mytilini has closed one politically charged case, the Greek state is opening new legal avenues to further criminalise both aid and migration. For years, no NGO rescue boats have sailed in Greek waters. Will that change now that the aid workers have been acquitted this past January? For a moment, on the steps of the Mytilini court, that hope is heard. ‘Every positive ruling by a judge in an alleged human trafficking case counts,’ says Iasonas Apostolopoulos, a former colleague of the defendants who testified before the judges. ‘I'm going back out to sea anyway,’ adds Athanasios Karakitsos. As one of the 24 defendants, he spent three months in pre-trial detention and was banned from leaving the country for five years.
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