The three Spanish firefighters and two Danish men have been acquitted on charges of attempting to illegally bring migrants to Greece. They had been involved in rescue missions for refugees and migrants in the Aegean Sea.
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A Greek court on Monday cleared three Spanish firefighters and two Danish volunteers of trying to help illegal migrants enter the country though the island of Lesbos.
Jose Enrique Rodriguez, Manuel Blanco and Julio Latorre — fire fighters from the southern Spanish city of Seville — and Danish volunteers Mohammed Abbassi and Salam Aldeen were arrested on the Aegean Sea island in January 2016. According to Blanco, the Greek coastguard had arrested them in the middle of the night after they had returned from a rescue mission, which had been called off because the boat being sought could not be found.
In their trial, which was held in the Lesbos capital of Mytilene on Monday, two Greek coastguards testified that the defendants had not informed the authorities of their rescue mission and were not properly equipped for it.
A presiding judge dismissed the charges against the five men, who were facing up to 10 years in prison according to Amnesty International.
Refugee rescue trial begins
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'Only helping to save lives'
Lesbos, a Greek island located 20 kilometers (12 miles) from mainland Turkey, has been at the heart of Europe's migration crisis. Thousands of refugees and migrants have traveled to the island on flimsy boats provided by smuggling rings. More than 1,000 people drowned making the attempt in 2015 and 2016.
The Spaniards were working as volunteers for Proem Aid and the Danes for Team Humanity when they were arrested. They were trying to help thousands of migrants who were risking their lives to reach Europe via Lesbos and other Aegean islands.
All five men had denied any wrongdoing in the trial. The defendants "were only helping to save lives," said a lawyer for the Spanish firefighters, Haris Petsikos.
They had support from international humanitarian groups during the trial. Many fishermen from Sykaminia, a small port in northern Lesbos and once a main landing sites for refugee boats, also showed up in support.
Rosa Aguilar, the interior and justice minister for the Andalusia region, where the firefighters are from, was also at the trial.
"They've been through a nightmare for the past two years," she said in a statement. "Now they can enjoy this moment with their families, who have suffered with them and they can continue being the people they are, people who show other[s] solidarity."
What life is like for refugees on the Greek mainland
DW and Infomigrants visited several refugee camps on the Greek mainland. Most of the people staying in the facilities arrived there from the Greek islands. They all want to go on to Central Europe.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
An old factory on the outskirts of Thebes
At the premises of the old Sakiroglou textile factory, in an industrial area just outside Thebes, a new reception center for refugees and migrants with a capacity of 700 people was launched last spring. Thebes hosts mainly refugee families and unaccompanied minors who have come from the islands, primarily Lesbos. They live here in container facilities or small apartments.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
The school year has started
On the day we visited the camp in Thebes, refugees and migrants were being registered for language and integration courses. Αpart from the UN refugee agency and the IOM, Greek NGOs such as ARSIS as well as international ones like Solidarity Now are active here. Doctors of the World provides primary health care. This refugee camp is also supported by the local government and the army.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
Eleonas, a refugee village in Athens
After Thebes, our second stop was Eleonas in Attica, close to the center of Athens. This is the first open refugee hosting center, which began operating in 2015, when the refugee crisis reached its peak. Despite its problems, it was considered from the very beginning to be an exemplary center for Greece, unlike the first reception and accommodation centers on the Aegean islands.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
Emphasis on education
Many of the refugees and migrants hosted in Eleona want to leave for Central and Northern Europe — mostly Germany. They are offered intensive English and German courses, as well as Greek courses for those who are considering staying in Greece or those who just want to feel a bit more integrated into Greek society.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
Disturbing the calm waters of Kavala
The massive arrival of migrants last year at the port of Kavala rocked the quiet northern city. Many people rushed to see the newcomers. Most welcomed or simply accepted all those who fled from their homelands. This photo was taken by journalist Giorgos Karanikas.
Image: Giorgos Karanikas
Volunteers and municipal workers at Kavala's refugee camp
According to the volunteers and residents of the city, the majority of people have no problem with the refugees and migrants hosted in the former military camp, not far from the city center. Most people who work here want to help. Despina Tsolakidou and Evi Drakonti are two of them.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
Ioannina: An old οrphanage turns into a refugee center
The former children's institution of Aghia Eleni, created shortly after the Second World War by Queen Frideriki, has been transformed into new accommodation for refugees and migrants. Mostly families are hosted here, waiting for their reunification applications to be processed. Until then, they are preparing for the cold winter.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
The teacher from Aleppo
Every single person at the refugee camps has his or her own story, anxieties and journey through the war zones of Syria, the mountains of Turkey, or the turbulent waters of the Aegean. Amsa was a high school teacher from Aleppo. A bomb killed her daughter. She is stranded in Greece waiting for her family reunification application to be accepted. Meanwhile, she teaches Arabic to volunteers.
Image: DW/D. Kyranoudi
Konitsa, the small city that never forgets
Even Konitsa, at the Greek-Albanian border, offers accommodation to refugees mainly from Syria. Most of them told DW that they feel safe and welcome here. Konitsa Mayor Andreas Papaspyrou told us that the city itself has a refugee past. In the early 1920's, Greek Orthodox refugees from Asia Minor and Cappadocia found a new home here.
Image: DW/D.Kyranoudi
'We want to go to Germany'
Konitsa's accommodation center hosts approximately 80 people who belong to so-called vulnerable groups. Most of them stay here temporarily, while others already have the green light to leave Greece. The Derwish family from Qamishli, Syria left their homeland in order to secure a peaceful future for their kids. They only have one destination in mind: Germany.