Uploaded December 2019 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
In Greece, you can go to jail for trying to save a life. It happened to Sarah Mardini, 24, and Seán Binder, 25, when they volunteered as rescue workers for an organization in Lesvos. Their job was to spot boats in distress at sea and to help refugees.They are accused of spying, people smuggling and belonging to a criminal organization. If found guilty, Sarah and Seán could go to prison for 25 years.
They already spent more than 100 days in prison before being released on bail in December 2018. Seán, now in Ireland, says the scariest thing about what happened to him “is not that it put me in jail, it’s that this can happen to anyone”. It happens when governments make criminals of people who try to help refugees instead of doing more to protect a refugee’s right to find a safe place to live. When people need to escape conflict, torture or other abuses in their countries, they often have no option but to make highly dangerous journeys to reach safety. Sarah, now in Germany, knows all about such dangers. In 2015 she fled Syria’s war, crossing the Aegean in a dinghy which nearly sank. She and her sister towed the boat to the shores of Lesvos, saving the lives of everyone on board.
In Greece, you can go to jail for trying to save a life. It happened to Sarah Mardini, 24, and Seán Binder, 25, when they volunteered as rescue workers for an organization in Lesvos. Their job was to spot boats in distress at sea and to help refugees.They are accused of spying, people smuggling and belonging to a criminal organization. If found guilty, Sarah and Seán could go to prison for 25 years.
They already spent more than 100 days in prison before being released on bail in December 2018. Seán, now in Ireland, says the scariest thing about what happened to him “is not that it put me in jail, it’s that this can happen to anyone”. It happens when governments make criminals of people who try to help refugees instead of doing more to protect a refugee’s right to find a safe place to live. When people need to escape conflict, torture or other abuses in their countries, they often have no option but to make highly dangerous journeys to reach safety. Sarah, now in Germany, knows all about such dangers. In 2015 she fled Syria’s war, crossing the Aegean in a dinghy which nearly sank. She and her sister towed the boat to the shores of Lesvos, saving the lives of everyone on board.
