Dana Schmalz

Convicted of all charges Bad things sometimes come to a good end - even if it takes years. The mills of Greek justice may grind slowly, but today all four suspects were finally convicted in the case of the racist mobilization in the port of #Thermi on Lesbos on 1 March 2020 against a group of refugees. The refugees initially drifted for hours on a rubber dinghy between Greece and Turkey, unable to maneuver, and were then brought to the port by the Greek coast guard, where a racist mob had gathered. The mob shouted racist slurs at the group, prevented them from going ashore and individual participants even threw plastic bottles at the refugees. The visuals and audio of that day are etched in my memory: The bawling mob, whose contempt for those perceived as invaders was directed at helpless, crying toddlers. In addition to the attack on the refugees, two of the perpetrators were also convicted for beating me up as I was documenting the events (along with several others who were never identified by the police) and throwing my camera in the harbor basin. The leader of the group was sentenced to 37 months (more than 3 years) in prison for the attack on me. Another defendant was sentenced to 29 months jail on probation as a simple accomplice. Two of the participants in the mob received 28 and 26 months in prison suspended on probation. The verdict is not yet final and all defendants can appeal. This has a suspensive effect. With the help of lawyer Elli Kriona Saranti from @HIASGreece, colleague Violeta Dimitrakopoulou, who was on site on March 1st 2020 and testified as a witness, and researcher and digital forensic expert @phesimeonid , we analyzed all the evidence, were able to clearly identify several perpetrators and pursued the trial. A date was set three times, but was then postponed on the day of the trial. Now the trial finally took place. The digital material was a decisive piece of evidence. At the court in #Mytilini, however, it is not necessarily customary to play videos as evidence. As Saranti insisted on this, they were finally examined at an extra hearing today. This was quickly followed by the verdict “guilty of all charges”. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported me with this case. Starting immediately after the attack, during the following shitstorm, in overcoming the psychological effects and the legal process (including several trips to the island). The biggest victory remains that the Greek justice system recognizes that the residents of Lesvos resorted to vigilante justice in 2020 for racist reasons. And that attacks on journalists are not adequate - especially not with the motivation to prevent reporting. (Photo from my archive, March 1st 2020) #Lesvos #antireport #Lesbos #refugees