On 4 December 2025, before the Court of Appeal of Lesvos, Greece, Seán Binder will stand trial for his work as a volunteer rescuer helping people in distress and at risk of drowning at sea. Alongside 23 other defendants, he faces criminal charges including membership of a criminal organization, money laundering, and smuggling (facilitation of irregular entry) and risks up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The trial comes at the end of a long judicial process which started in 2018 with Seán’s arrest and has left him in limbo ever since. The case has contributed to a climate of hostility and intimidation against civil society organizations and individuals assisting people – many fleeing persecution or other dire circumstances – arriving via unsafe and irregular routes to Greece.
Commenting ahead of the trial, Seán Binder said: “When I was first arrested in 2018, it was devastating to realize I was in prison for nothing more than trying to assist people who were at risk. However, what is really frightening is that if I can be prosecuted for doing only what is normal, then so can you. In fact, there are many other humanitarians across Europe facing similar intimidation and harassment, indicating that my case is part of a wider pattern of states criminalising humanitarian work. Solidarity is on trial in Greece. These tactics are being used to control migration and have had a chilling effect on civil society.”
Esther Major Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Research in Europe said: “Humanitarian workers like Seán Binder should never be prosecuted for showing compassion to people in dire need. Seán did what any of us would hope to do in his position: help people in danger in one of the deadliest sea routes in Europe. This is not just humane — it is lawful and necessary. It is farcical that this trial is happening at all the charges against Sean are baseless and should be dropped.”
Background
Seán Binder began volunteering for the search and rescue NGO ERCI on Lesvos in 2017 – a dangerous year for people crossing the Mediterranean with over 3,000 people reported dead or missing. He worked patrolling the Greek coastline, spotting rubber boats in distress and assisting people who made it to shore.
In 2018, the Greek authorities arrested Seán and detained him for more than 100 days before releasing him on bail in December 2018. The Greek authorities also brought criminal charges against 23 other defendants linked to the search and rescue NGO. Between 2023-2024, the misdemeanour charges of forgery, espionage, and unlawful use of radio frequencies, were dropped against Seán and other defendants. The more serious felony charges, at the core of the upcoming trial, have remained pending.
In a 2020 report covering the way in which several European countries criminalize solidarity towards migrants and refugees, Amnesty International examined and criticized the charges against Seán. The organization has consistently called on the Greek authorities to drop the charges as they are unfounded, based on a wrong and abusive interpretation of anti-smuggling legislative provisions, and not backed by the evidence presented by the prosecutors.
Amnesty International representatives will be present at Seán’s trial.