Greek Court Acquits Syrian Swimmer Sarah Mardini and Rescue Volunteers in Migrant Aid Case

A Greek court on the island of Lesvos acquitted 24 rescue volunteers on Thursday, including Syrian competitive swimmer Sarah Mardini, clearing them of charges related to facilitating illegal migrant entry and forming a criminal organisation.

The defendants, associated with the Greek nonprofit Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI), had faced prosecution stemming from their work aiding migrants arriving by sea in 2018. The case, which lasted seven years, drew widespread international criticism from human rights organizations.

Sarah Mardini, whose dramatic escape from war-torn Syria with her sister Yusra inspired the 2022 Netflix film The Swimmers, was among those arrested in 2018. The sisters famously swam for hours to guide an overcrowded dinghy to safety during their 2015 crossing from Turkey to Lesvos. Yusra later competed for the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team at the 2016 Rio Games.

The prosecutor had recommended acquittal before the verdict, citing insufficient evidence and noting that at least one volunteer consistently informed Greek port authorities of approaching boats.

Celebrations erupted outside the Mytilene courthouse as the acquitted group emerged. Many then joined in a symbolic nighttime swim in the island’s port. “We didn’t do anything illegal,” Mardini told reporters. “If helping people is a crime, then we are all guilty.”

Human rights groups welcomed the ruling as a long-overdue vindication. Eva Cosse of Human Rights Watch described the seven-year ordeal as “bittersweet,” emphasizing that the defendants had been targeted “on baseless charges for saving lives.”

The acquittal follows earlier not-guilty verdicts in related cases and comes amid Greece’s ongoing efforts—along with other EU states—to tighten migration controls, including expanded deportations for rejected asylum seekers.

Amnesty International’s Eve Geddie called on European governments to protect humanitarian work. “We hope today’s decision sends a strong signal… that solidarity, compassion and defending human rights should be protected and celebrated, not punished.”