05/05/2025 Chania, Crete
08/05/2025 Mytiline, Lesvos
21/05/2025 Chania, Crete
12/06/2025 Hiraklion, Crete
16/06/2025 Samos
18/06/2025 Hiraklion, Crete
25/09/2025 Supreme Court date for Homayoun Sabetara
On September 25, 2025, a significant hearing will take place before a higher Greek court in the case of Homayoun Sabetara. He was originally sentenced to 18 years in prison in an unfair trial in Thessaloniki after he was forced to drive a car with 7 other people. His conviction was based on the testimony of a single witness who never appeared in court. In September 24, Homayoun Sabetara’s sentence was reduced on appeal to 7 years and 4 months, allowing him to leave prison after 3 years. However, his acquittal is still pending.
The lawyer Harris Ladies, together with the #FreeHomayoun campaign, will continue to pursue the case until Homayoun’s acquittal. It is clear that no European court will support this judgment. Further information on freehomayoun.org.
Previous trials
30/04/2025 Chania, Crete
On April 30, 2025, Ariad, an 18-year-old refugee from South Sudan, will stand trial. During the civil war, he was shot in his left arm. In search of medical help, he made the difficult decision to risk the dangerous journey to Europe.
When he reached Crete on November 30, 2024, with 70 other passengers, he was arrested by the Greek police. He was charged with “aiding and abetting the illegal entry of 70 third-country nationals” with the aggravating circumstances of allegedly endangering the passengers and allegedly acting for profit. If convicted, Ariad faces several hundred years in prison.
Ariad is one of about 50 young Sudanese refugees currently in pretrial detention in Avlona Youth Prison for smuggling, simply because they were seeking protection in Europe. Read Ariad’s story here.
Chatiem is also standing trial on this day. He set off from Tobruk in Libya on June 10, 2024, in a small plastic boat. On June 13, 2024, the boat broke down and was rescued by the Greek coast guard and taken to Chania. Although he fled the civil war in Sudan to seek refuge in Europe, he now faces decades in prison. He is accused of steering the boat that brought him and other refugees to Europe and can therefore be convicted of human trafficking under Greek law.
Results: 10 years filakisi, read more
18/2/2025 Appeal trial on Kalamata
Today, February 18, 2025, Jawhar A. is on trial at the Court of Appeal of Kalamata. He was arrested on a boat on September 15, 2022 and unjustly sentenced in the first instance to 270 years in prison for smuggling 89 people seeking protection. He himself came to Europe on this boat as a refugee from Lebanon.
The case is of great importance because the alleged crime took place outside Greek territorial waters, meaning that Greek courts do not have jurisdiction. The lawyer Alex Georgoulis, who represents Jawhar A. on behalf of the Captain Support Network, has already won several similar cases with his colleagues, including the spectacular case of the Pylos 9.
Result: Acquittal, read more .