Nathalie Issa as Yursa, and Manal Issa as Sarah (left- right) are shown in a scene from ‘The Swimmers.’ Credit: Netflix
An activist whose rescue of her own sister inspired a hit Netflix film, on Thursday, went on trial in Greece alongside 23 other people to face charges including migrant trafficking.
The 2022 Netflix film “The Swimmers” is inspired by the story of Sarah Mardini, who was one of 10 athletes who competed 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 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 offences related to their humanitarian work, including “espionage”.
The ERCI group no longer operates, but Human Rights Watch in a statement 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.
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