An event in cooperation with Sudan Uprising Germany and Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
Date: 14 November 2025, 7:00–9:00 PM
Location: Vierte Welt, Adalbertstraße 96, 10999 Berlin
Across Greece, more than 300 people from Sudan – most of them between 15 and 21 years old – are currently imprisoned. Some have already been sentenced; others are in pre-trial detention. They face decades or even life in prison.
Their alleged “crime”? Steering a boat or taking on tasks during their own flight to safety.
The journey of Sudanese youth lays bare the continuum of neocolonial violence: barely adults, they fled a brutal war fueled by imperialist and geopolitical interests, survived torture and abuse in Libya’s EU-funded detention industry – only to be punished with imprisonment in Europe for facilitating their own and others’ arrival and survival.
In response, different groups have come together to launch the #FreeTheBoys campaign, demanding the release of the imprisoned people and an end to the systematic criminalization of people on the move.
This event will explore the situation of Sudanese war refugees imprisoned in Greece, the ongoing war in Sudan, how European smuggling laws are used to criminalize migration and justify mass incarceration and the colonial continuities that underpin these injustices today.
Panel
- Mustafa Ahmed & Eirini Tsilafaki, 50outofmany Athens
- Ibrahim Izzeldeen, Sudan Uprising Germany
- Julia Winkler, de:criminalize
- Moderation: Hanaa Hakiki, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
We will also hear directly from the imprisoned boys via video and audio messages.
The event will be held in English, with whisper translation available in German and Arabic.
Sudanese food will be available on a donation basis.
All proceeds go directly to support the imprisoned youth – covering legal fees, phone cards, and other essential needs.
