Freedom News

Is saving lives a crime? The trial of human rights defenders begins in Greece

Searching and rescuing refugees in distress — is this a crime? It is about to be decided. On 10th January 2023, the trial of human rights defenders Sarah Mardini, Seán Binder, Nassos Karakitos and 21 others will begin on the Greek island of Lesvos. The accusations include smuggling, membership of a criminal organisation, money laundering

The kidnap of Alexander Haitoglou

To mark Freedom Press’s fundraising campaign to publish A Normal Life, the autobiography of “Greek Robin Hood” Vassilis Palaiokostas, this piece recounts the events of when Vassilis and his brother, Nikos, kidnapped and ransomed a Greek industrialist in 1995. The brothers, whose nicknames range from “The Phantom” to “The Greek Robin Hood”, were known throughout

Europe is stained by the ashes of Moria refugee camp

Yesterday morning we awoke to the news that Europe’s largest refugee camp burnt to the ground overnight. At present it is unclear if there have been any fatalities and it will be a while before we know for sure. Around 13,000 people (mainly from Afghanistan and Syria) were cramped into a former army facility at

Syndicalist unions and Covid-era resistance: A CIT roundup

The anarcho-syndicalist international, founded in 2018, looks at workplace struggle in its branches worldwide and calls for the building of new forms of solidarity amid the lockdowns. With the corona crisis, the world has suddenly entered a new phase of intense class struggle. This is impressively documented by a map of (for the most part) wildcat strikes

Refugee struggle: secret document could prove Turkey is not a safe third country

Germany’s largest pro immigration advocacy organization PRO ASYL, together with Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) have urged the European Asylum Support Office  (EASO) to release a potentially crucial report on the Turkish asylum system. The document, dated 15th June 2016,  is believed to include information that would show that Turkey is not a safe third country

Greek police arrest three activists for helping migrants enter the EU

Greek police have arrested Syrian swimmer Sara Mardini and two other activists on charges of smuggling migrants into Greece. All three are members of the Emergency Response Center International (ERCI) on Lesbos. ERCI is a Greek NGO providing emergency response and humanitarian aid. Mardini, together with German and Greek nationals, are accused of belonging to