On June 12, 16, and 18, lawyers from the Human Rights Legal Project (HRLP) Samos represented 16 asylum seekers who were facing charges of smuggling and long prison sentences. The charges were based solely on the allegation that they had steered the boat that brought them—and other refugees—to Greece.
In a series of landmark rulings, 10 of the 16 defendants were found not guilty. The court accepted the HLRP lawyers’ argument and acquitted the defendants of all charges, as the prosecution of asylum seekers is not permitted under Greek migration law and the provisions of Article 31 of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Article 31 guarantees that refugees have effective access to international protection without being punished for violations of immigration or other laws due to their unauthorized entry into a country.
HLRP is part of the Captain Support Network. Six of the above mentioned cases were funded by Medico International’s Freedom of Movement Fund, which is managed by decriminalize.eu.
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