Criminalisation on Lesvos
Photo credit Sarah Booker
Lesvos, 22/03/2022 - The 76-year-old Norwegian photographer and film director Knut Bry was arrested last Wednesday while taking pictures of the port of Mytilene, Lesvos. He was accused of espionage. Today, after 5 days in custody, he was released with the agreement of restrictive conditions. 4,000 euro bail was imposed as well as an obligation to inform the authorities every time he enters and leaves Greece. RLS stands in solidarity with Knut Bry and condemns the arbitrary accusation of activists and the abusive criminalisation of solidarity.
Links:
- Washington Post article published 18/03/2022 - in English;
- Sto Nisi article published 21/03/2022 - in Greek.
Amir Zahir and Akif Razuli are two young men who fled Afghanistan a few years ago. They arrived in Greece in 2020 where they wanted to seek international protection. They were accused of being smugglers and sentenced to 50 years of prison. After two years in prison, the Appeal trial was supposed to take place on Lesvos on 17/03/2022. It was postponed and then interrupted. It will resume on 07/04/2022. RLS stands in solidarity with Amir Zahir and Akif Razuli and condemns the arbitrary accusation of asylum seekers and the abusive criminalisation of refugees.
Links:
- Legal Centre Lesvos press release published 03/03/2022 - in English and Greek;
- Campaign addressed to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and European Governments leaders, requesting a review of visa policies and to ensure there are legal paths to reach Europe - in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese.
