Updates from Lesvos, Key Legal Victories, and Ongoing Advocacy
This quarter has been a critical time in the Legal Centre Lesvos’ ongoing fight for justice, human rights, and dignity for refugees and migrants in Greece.
The Legal Centre Lesvos (LCL) and the defence team of the Pylos 9 celebrated a major victory in May with the release of the nine Egyptians, survivors of the Pylos shipwreck, who were wrongfully accused by the Greek authorities of smuggling and causing the shipwreck. The Pylos 9 were acquitted on 21 May 2024 by a Kalamata court after spending nearly a year in pre-trial detention and were finally released thanks to the intervention of the LCL and other Pylos9 defence lawyers.
Over the last three months, the Legal Centre Lesvos continued its fight against impunity and efforts against the criminalisation of migrants by bringing the case of two of the Moria 6 before the European Court of Human Rights for violation of the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, and continuing efforts to advocate for the right to health for all migrants.