An activist whose rescue of her own sister inspired a hit Netflix film went on trial in Greece on Thursday alongside 23 others who are facing charges, including those of migrant trafficking, against them.
The 2022 Netflix film The Swimmers is inspired by the story of Sarah Mardini, who was one of ten athletes to compete in the Rio Olympics for a Refugee Team, and her sister Yusra. Mardini, 30, made the Aegean crossing from Turkey to Greece in 2015 and later settled in Berlin.
In 2018, she was part of a group of volunteer activists with the NGO ERCI, which was trying to help migrants reach the island of Lesvos from Turkey. She was arrested at the time and spent three months in prison in Greece. For these actions, she now faces charges including “participation in a criminal organization” and “illegal facilitation of the entry of foreign nationals from third countries into Greece.”
The activists face a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. In 2023, they were acquitted in another case involving offenses related to their humanitarian work, including “espionage.” The ERCI group is no longer in operation, but, in a statement, Human Rights Watch criticized judicial authorities for “harassing” rescuers.
“This case is a striking example of a worrying trend in Europe to criminalize solidarity towards migrants,” the group said in a statement.
Related: Greece and Germany Mull Return Hubs in Africa for Irregular Migrants
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