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Athens assumes B40 Balkan cities network presidency - Mayor of Istanbul passes the baton to Mayor of Athens

In-depth: The recent trial of 24 search and rescue workers in Greece, during which some of the charges were dropped, represents a small victory in a much larger fight against the EU's attempts to criminalise solidarity with asylum seekers.

Sarah Mardini and Sean Binder were thrown in jail on baseless charges for helping rescue migrants and asylum seekers in the Mediterranean Sea in August 2018. Four years and four months later, they and 22 other defendants in the “largest case of criminalization of solidarity in Europe” finally had their day in court. While the Court of Appeal of Mytilene, on Lesbos threw out the case – largely on procedural grounds - the humanitarians’ ordeal is far from over.

The director of Amnesty International’s European Regional Office Friday urged Greek authorities to drop all charges against two dozen search and rescue volunteers and to stop criminalizing aid workers...

MYTILENE - Although a Greek court rejected charges against 24 aid workers and volunteers of human smuggling – for saving the lives of refugees – and sent the case back to prosecutors, the United Nations wants it dropped. “Trials like these are deeply concerning because they criminalize life-savin