The recent acquittal of 24 humanitarian workersby a court in Lesbos, in what the European Parliament called the “largest case of criminalization of solidarity in Europe”, should have been a turning point in the Greek government’s assault on civil society. Instead, it has doubled down.
On February 5, Greece’s Parliament passed a government-led migration law that associates humanitarian work with criminal conduct by making membership in a nongovernmental organization an aggravating factor in migration-related offenses. The law also grants the Migration Minister unchecked authority to deregister groups at his discretion and without a court ruling, a power ripe for misuse.
The law is part of a surge in state-led intimidation of civil society following the February 3 collision between a Coast Guard vessel and a migrant boat off Chios, which left 15 dead. While survivors claim reckless maneuvers by the coast guard caused the shipwreck, the government has launched a smear campaign against those seeking accountability.
On February 9, Migration Minister Thanos Plevris accused human rights lawyer Dimitris Choulis, who is defending a survivor of the wreck facing smuggling charges, of slandering the Coast Guard to serve a political agenda.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis announced that the national intelligence service will investigate the activities of an unnamed nongovernmental group (which he subsequently identified as Médecins Sans Frontières), which tried to visit survivors of the wreck in the hospital, alleging the group tried to coach patients into making claims against the coast guard.
Government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis also threatened journalist Chris Avramidis with a lawsuit live on air for questioning the Coast Guard’s tactics. Human Rights Watch has documented how such intimidation continues an ongoing attack on media freedom where abusive lawsuits and government pressure have created a stifling environment for independent media.
On February 11, Greek prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Tommy Olsen, founder of Aegean Boat Report based in Norway. The warrant accuses Olsen of “forming a criminal organization” and “facilitating illegal entry,” charges stemming from his legitimate work documenting pushbacks of migrants and asylum seekers.
By treating solidarity as potential criminal conduct and the search for accountability as a threat, the Greek government is undermining democratic checks and balances. The European Commission should launch a formal assessment of Greece’s new migration law and its compatibility with EU law. It should also ensure Athens adheres to its commitments to protects critics from legal harassment.
