He went to Greece to stop migrants from drowning. Now he’s in court, facing prison

Trained rescue diver Seán Binder traveled to Greece six years ago, to help migrants and refugees struggling to make the Mediterranean crossing to Europe.

But within a year, he and another volunteer were arrested on charges of being spies, caught “in a stolen military jeep trying to infiltrate a naval base to steal state secrets.”

“I thought, that is quite impressive, but this should be a joke. I have done nothing of the sort,” said the Irishman, who joined humanitarian efforts in 2017 because he thought he had practical water safety skills to help.

Binder is a volunteer with the Greek NGO Emergency Response Center International (ERCI), a search and rescue organization that has since disbanded. He was arrested by Greek authorities in February 2018, and now faces charges of espionage, forgery, trafficking and being part of a criminal organization. None of the allegations were proven in court; trial begins Tuesday.

I was handcuffed to a murderer, all because I provided some very basic search and rescue.– John Binder

He spent three and a half months in pre-trial detention in 2018, before being released on a €5,000 ($7,200 Cdn) bond. bail, to await trial.

“I was handcuffed to a murderer, all because I provided some basic search and rescue for people who had a basic right to receive,” Binder said. Now Matt Galloway.

He said that at the time, ERCI had two search and rescue ships and a medical clinic operating, but while the operation may have looked dramatic, they “did very little”.

“I might give a smile and a warm blanket to someone… running away from a conflict that I couldn’t even dream of living,” he said.

“That’s the scary thing, because if I can be criminalized for giving a bottle of water… then it will be a criminal act if you give a bottle of water, or show the smallest attitude to someone.”

Baseless accusations, must be dismissed: Amnesty

Binder was among two dozen volunteers who tried. Among them is Sarah Mardini, a Syrian refugee who survived a perilous sea crossing with her sister, who went on to swim in the Olympics.

This week’s trial involves charges of espionage and forgery, which carries a prison sentence of up to eight years. The court in Greece is expected to decide whether the trial should continue.

There is also an ongoing investigation into allegations of assisting a smuggling network, membership of a criminal organization and money laundering, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years.

Amnesty International called all the charges baseless, calling for them to be dropped.

Now asked the Greek embassy in Canada for a comment on the case and the charges, but did not receive a response.

Binder said he has evidence to dispel many of the allegations. As for accusations that he helped people enter the country illegally, he said he could show that in half of those cases he had not even arrived in Greece. He also said he had evidence that he and other volunteers were in contact with local authorities, coordinating efforts to bring people ashore safely, and also providing training.

He said that in an ideal world, there would be no need for search and rescue operations, because no one would drown. In a better world, he thought, the official authorities would do the job.

“But in the world we live in, unfortunately, it’s 20-year-olds like me who have to train some of those officers how to do basic CPR,” he said.

He found it “very troubling,” saying “we have a responsibility to protect people who are at risk of drowning.”

“That’s what this is all about. No one should be left to die.”

Safe routes stop smuggling: Binder

The court case is intended to send a “somber message” to humanitarian organizations, said Giulia Tranchina, a researcher with Human Rights Watch who looks at migration and asylum in Europe.

“[It’s] to prevent them, to scare them, to ensure that they stop helping, rescuing and providing solidarity and humanitarian aid to vulnerable refugees,” he said.

He added that the allegations “falsely portray” the search-and-rescue operation as an illegal people-smuggling ring.

Binder pointed out that legally, refugees must be in a host country to claim asylum – but with land borders closed, desperate people have no choice but to cross the sea.

“If we really want to stop smuggling, as I do, then let’s provide a safe route to asylum,” he said.

Italy’s new rules ‘completely inhumane’: aid workers

In neighboring Italy, legislation introduced last week also affects the way these organizations operate. Ships must now report to port after one rescue – rather than remaining out at sea to carry out further rescues if necessary. The ships were given special berths to dock, some of which were too far from where they could be saved.

Caroline Willemen, deputy head of mission for search and rescue with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said the rules made rescues “more complicated than they should be.”

Willemen is on board Geo Barents, the MSF rescue ship, when docked in Ancona on Friday, with 73 rescued people. Ancona is on the east coast of central Italy – about three days from Sicily, where ships used to dock. MSF asked for a closer dock, but was denied.

“People had to sail four extra days in very bad weather, people were very sick,” Willemen said.

He said the move was “completely inhumane … cruel and unnecessary,” adding that migrants would sooner dock in the south and travel to Ancona by bus.

“No one is going to stop people from getting on that boat … they’re running from abuse, they’re running from the most horrific abuse you’ve ever heard of,” he said.

“They will keep coming. If we are not there to rescue them, they will be taken back to Libya or they will drown. And that is the reality we are facing.”