(from de:criminalize)

'ON MONDAY, D. FROM SOUTH SUDAN WILL STAND TRIAL AND FACE 25 YEARS IN PRISON FOR "SMUGGLING"

Next Monday, 5th of October, D. will stand trial in Chania, Crete. He is a young boy from South Sudan.

He has been arrested in January 2026 near the coast of Crete and charged with "smuggling" after being forced to drive the boat from Libya to Greece, on his way to seek asylum.

He has already been in pre-trial detention for 9 months awaiting for his trial. Now, with this accusations, he could face 25 years in prison.

D.'S STORY:

"The war in Sudan broke out and my father was killed. After that I left for Libya, I lost contact with my mother and siblings. In Libya I was alone, I was 15. There was no work and nothing to eat. My eyes would swell for days and I couldn't see properly. People would kidnap me and ask for money. The last time they took me, I had no money: so they made me drive the boat. Now l am in prison. My siblings have no one to feed them and my mom cant manage alone. The war in Sudan is still going on."

Like so many others, D. has been charged with "facilitating the unauthorized entry" of the other people on the boat - simply because he took on a task during the journey.

This charge is systematically used to criminalize people on the move. On almost every boat, at least one person is arrested. Every year, countless people are imprisoned - punished simply for arriving, and for helping others along the way.

D. is a young person with a future ahead of him - stripped of his freedom by a system that criminalizes survival.

Thanks to your support, we were able to hire a lawyer for him, ensuring he has proper defense at Monday's trial.

SHARE HIS STORY,
DEMAND HIS RELEASE!
FREE D., FREE THEM ALL!'

#Greece #decriminalize #migrants #refugees #refugeesWelcome #SouthSudan #Sudan