Informations
Publications, articles & more
Study:
Study: A legal vacuum – the systematic criminalisation of migrants for driving a boat or car to Greece
The fight against migrant smuggling has been a top priority of European migration policy since 2015, with a vast amount of resources being invested into this policy goal. This study gives new and in-depth insights about the criminalisation of people on the move for “smuggling” in Greece, analysing the current legal framework as well as its practical enforcement.
For the study, we examined a total of 81 trials of 95 people who were arrested and tried in Greece for smuggling in eight different locations, namely in Komotini, Thessaloniki, Rhodes, Samos, Lesvos, Crete, Syros and Kalamata.
(PDF | 3 MB)
Report:
The criminalisation of boat drivers in Spain and Canary Islands
In Spain, despite the fact that between 200 and 300 people are imprisoned every year, the criminalisation of so-called ‘boat drivers’ is a relatively unknown reality. However, thanks to the work of activists, we now have information that reveals the main features of the practice of criminalising of boat drivers in Spain, especially in the Canary Islands.
As part of the Patrones Project, we have prepared the following report of the information available.
(PDF | 3 MB)
In the media / features
‘It was steer or they would kill me’: why Sudanese war refugees are filling prisons in Greece
Fifty Sudanese teenagers fled war — now they’re facing life sentences for ‘smuggling‘ simply because they steered the boat they travelled on.
BBC Radio Feature
Caught at the Helm – The BBC tells the story of the refugees and other migrants ensnared in Greece’s legal crossfire because they steered a boat. It reveals a system where chaotic trials last a matter of minutes but can result in prison sentences of hundreds of years.
Frankfurter Rundschau
Schleuserei-Vorwürfe: Junge Geflüchtete in Griechenland kriminalisiert – Menschenrechtsgruppe hält dagegen
From Sudan to Avlona – the “smugglers” who were acquitted
Sudanese refugees arriving on the shores of Crete often end up on the dock, accused of being migrant smugglers. Of the hundreds of Sudanese who have been tried in such cases on the island, only 12 have been acquitted. Among them are the cases of Babakar and Nasser.
