[11.6.21] Update nach dem ersten Prozesstag gegen die vier Jugendlichen der Moria 6 ++ Urteil für morgen erwartet ++ Prozessbeobachter*innen kritisieren Unregelmäßigkeiten +++ Einladung zu weiterer Pressekonferenz

Posted on 2021/06/11 by can't evict solidarity

Update nach dem ersten Prozesstag gegen die vier Jugendlichen der Moria 6 ++ Urteil für morgen erwartet ++ Prozessbeobachter*innen kritisieren Unregelmäßigkeiten +++ Einladung zu weiterer Pressekonferenz

Am heutigen Freitag, den 11.06.2021, fand der erste Teil des Prozesses gegen vier jugendliche Geflüchtete der sogenannten Moria 6 statt. Der Prozess fand auf der Insel Chios statt und wurde begleitet von internationaler Aufmerksamkeit und Solidarität – sowohl online, also auch präsent vor dem Gerichtsgebäude. Ein Urteil wurde noch nicht gesprochen, wird aber für morgen früh erwartet.

Internationale Beobachter*innen kritisierten das Verfahren und betonten, dass der Prozess von Unregelmäßigkeiten durchzogen gewesen sei und zentrale rechtsstaatliche Standards wie das Grundprinzip der Unschuldsvermutung verletzt wurden. So wurde – wie bereits bei dem Prozess gegen die beiden Minderjährigen im März 2021 auf Lesbos – die Öffentlichkeit, d.h. Journalist*innen und Menschenrechtsbeobachter*innen vom Prozess ausgeschlossen.

Völliges Ungleichgewicht herrschte nach ihren Aussagen außerdem in der Zeug*innensituation, wobei mind. 15 Belastungszeug*innen und lediglich drei Entlastungszeug*innen angehört wurden. Der Kronzeuge, auf dessen belastender Aussage der ganze Prozess basiert, war nicht anwesend, seine schriftliche Aussage wurde jedoch vom Gericht akzeptiert.

Prozessbeobachterin und Migrationsforscherin Valeria Hänsel äußert sich empört zum heutigen Prozess:

“Der Prozess war von Unregelmäßigkeiten durchzogen. Die Menschenrechtsbeobachter*innen wurden nicht ins Gerichtsgebäude gelassen, ebenso keine Journalist*innen. Die Anträge der Anwält*innen bspw die Jugendlichen als Minderjährige anzuerkennen wurden abgeschmettert. Aber kein Zeuge war anwesend, der die Anwesenden identifiziert hat. Deshalb hoffen wir auf Rechtsstaatlichkeit und einen Freispruch morgen früh.”

Am Nachmittag hatte in Deutschland eine Online- Pressekonferenz stattgefunden – noch während der Prozess lief. Sprecher*innen waren in der Konferenz zum Einen die Migrationsforscherin und Pressesprecherin der Solidaritätskampagne #FreeTheMoria6, Valeria Hänsel, zum Anderen die Aktivistin und Mitglied der Kampagne Oda Becker. Neben der Berichterstattung des Prozessablaufs, der Zeug*innensituation und der öffentlichen Reaktionen, wurden die heutigen Geschehnisse in die Zusammenhänge der europäischen Migrationspolitik eingebettet.

Es wird demnächst auch eine weitere Online-Pressekonferenz in Griechenland  stattfinden – in Griechisch, aber mit der Möglichkeit Fragen auf Englisch zu stellen. Wenn Sie Interesse an der Teilnahme haben oder weitere Fragen bzgl. des Prozesses haben und Journalist*in oder Pressevertreterin sind, kontaktieren Sie uns gern unter: freethemoria6@riseup.net

Hier finden Sie einen Link, wo Sie die aufgezeichnente Pressekonferenz (auf Deutsch) herunterladen können. Zusätzlich gibt es einen Pressespiegel, unsere Pressemitteilung zum Prozessbeginn finden Sie hier:

Posted in General | Comments Off on [11.6.21] Update nach dem ersten Prozesstag gegen die vier Jugendlichen der Moria 6 ++ Urteil für morgen erwartet ++ Prozessbeobachter*innen kritisieren Unregelmäßigkeiten +++ Einladung zu weiterer Pressekonferenz

Press release: After the fire in Moria camp, Lesvos: 70 organizations from Europe demand fairness and transparency in the trial of the six accused refugees

Posted on 2021/06/07 by can't evict solidarity

(german below)

Chios/Göttingen, 2021/06/07

After the fire in Camp Moria, Lesbos: 70 organizations from Europe demand fairness and
transparency in the trial of the six accused refugees
On June 11, 2021, the trial of four of the six juvenile refugees accused of burning down
Camp Moria in September 2020 will take place on the Greek island of Chios. Human rights
organizations fear massive violations of fundamental rights at the trial of the minors. An
appeal supported by some 70 organizations, groups and initiatives states:
“We are deeply concerned that the right of the defendants to a fair and just trial, based on the presumption of innocence, is not guaranteed and that they are instead being made scapegoats for inhumane EU migration policies. From the moment of their arrest and before the start of due process, they have been presented to the public as guilty.”
Two of the six defendants were already sentenced to prison terms of five years in March,
despite a lack of evidence and a trial riddled with irregularities. The key witness could not
be located and none of the defendants could be identified from the 17 prosecution
witnesses present. Key exculpatory witnesses in defense of the defendants, on the other
hand, were turned away and only two people were admitted. Oda Becker of the
#FreeTheMoria6 solidarity campaign attended their trial on March 9, 2021, and stated:“Our fears of an unfair trial already came true when we observed the first trial, when two of the defendants were sentenced to five years in prison by the juvenile court in March. Against the remaining defendants, the sentence is likely to be even harsher, despite the lack of evidence.”

Five of the six defendants were minors at the time of the arrest, according to their own
statements, but only two of them were recognized as such by the Greek state and
consequently treated under the juvenile criminal code. The Greek Minister of Migration has
already pre-sentenced the defendants. He announced on September 16, 2020 that “the
camp was burned down by six Afghan refugees who were arrested.” This overrides the
basic legal principle that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
On September 8, 2020, the notorious Camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos burned
down completely. The widespread and prolonged fires, which were well documented and
broadcast almost live on social media, brought the ongoing policy of deterrence through
inhumane conditions in Europe’s Aegean hotspot camps back into the media spotlight.

The arrest of the six refugees as alleged culprits attempted to nip in the bud further public
debate about living conditions in the camp, and the political responsibility of the EU and
the Greek state. The fires occurred at a time when the number of people living in the camp
had reached 12,000, movement restrictions had been in place for almost six months, and
a growing fear of Covid-19 was spreading in the camp. A week before the fire, the first
person in the camp had tested positive for the virus. Instead of evacuating people from the
camp and improving their living conditions, the government planned to completely seal off
the entire camp with two rows of NATO high-security fencing and violently cracked down
on any protests.
Valeria Hänsel, migration researcher and spokesperson for the Solidarity Campaign has
been researching European asylum and migration policy for years. She knows the
background of the court cases:
“The criminalization of refugees unfortunately has a long tradition in the European hotspot camps on the Greek islands. Time and again, protests against the untenable conditions in the camps have been violently put down and refugees have been held in pre-trial detention for months despite a lack of evidence and tried in proceedings that violate basic legal standards. In the current political situation, where protection seekers are systematically victimized by violent illegal pushback operations and people are housed in closed camps in disastrous conditions, this practice is particularly disturbing.”

As representatives of the press, you are cordially invited to contact us with any requests at
freethemoria6@riseup.net

Link to statement:
https://freethemoria6.noblogs.org/deutsch-forderung-nach-einem-fairen-und-
transparenten-prozess-fur-die-angeklagten-moria-6-auf-der-grundlage-der-
unschuldsvermutung/

More information and contacts (also during the process):
Valeria Hänsel, migration researcher and spokesperson for #FreeTheMoria6.
Email: freethemoria6@riseup.net
Twitter: #FreeTheMoria6
Blog: https://freethemoria6.noblogs.org/

—————-German——————

Pressemitteilung und Einladung zur Pressekonferenz am 11.6.

Chios/Göttingen, 07.06.2021

Nach dem Brand im Camp Moria, Lesbos: 70 Organisationen aus Europa fordern Fairness und Transparenz im Verfahren gegen die sechs angeklagten Geflüchteten

Am 11. Juni 2021 findet auf der griechischen Insel Chios der Prozess gegen vier der sechs jugendlichen Geflüchteten statt, die beschuldigt werden, das Camp Moria im September 2020 niedergebrannt zu haben. Menschenrechtsorganisationen befürchten massive Grundrechts-verletzungen beim Prozess gegen die Minderjährigen. In einem Aufruf, der von rund 70 Organisationen, Gruppen und Initiativen unterstützen wird, heißt es:

“Wir sind zutiefst besorgt darüber, dass das Recht der Angeklagten auf einen fairen und gerechten Prozess, basierend auf der Unschuldsvermutung, nicht gewährleistet ist und sie stattdessen zu Sündenböcken für die unmenschliche EU-Migrationspolitik gemacht werden. Vom Moment ihrer Verhaftung an und vor dem Start eines ordentlichen Gerichtsverfahrens wurden sie in der Öffentlichkeit als Schuldige präsentiert.”

Zwei der sechs Angeklagten wurden bereits im März zu Gefängnisstrafen von fünf Jahren verurteilt, trotz mangelnder Beweise und einem von Unregelmäßigkeiten durchzogenen Gerichtsverfahren. Der Kronzeuge konnte nicht ausfindig gemacht werden und keiner der Angeklagten konnte von den 17 anwesenden Belastungszeugen der Staatsanwaltschaft identifiziert werden. Wichtige Entlastungszeugen zur Verteidigung der Angeklagten wurden hingegen weggeschickt und nur zwei Personen zugelassen. Oda Becker von der Solidaritätskampagne #FreeTheMoria6 hat ihr Gerichtsverfahren am 8. März 2021 begleitet und erklärt:

“Unsere Befürchtungen eines unfairen Prozesses haben sich bereits bei der Beobachtung des ersten Gerichtsverfahrens bewahrheitet, als zwei der Angeklagten im März vom Jugendgericht zu fünf Jahren Haft verurteilt wurden. Gegen die verbleibenden Angeklagten wird das Urteil trotz mangelnder Beweise vermutlich noch harscher ausfallen.“

Fünf der sechs Angeklagten waren laut eigener Angabe zum Zeitpunkt der Verhaftung minderjährig, doch nur zwei von ihnen wurden vom griechischen Staat als solche anerkannt und infolgedessen nach dem Jugendstrafrecht behandelt. Der griechische Migrationsminister hat die Angeklagten bereits vorverurteilt. Er verkündete am 16. September 2020, dass „das Lager von sechs afghanischen Flüchtlingen niedergebrannt wurde, die festgenommen wurden“. Dies übergeht das juristische Grundprinzip, dass für alle Angeklagten die Unschuldsvermutung gilt, bis ihre Schuld bewiesen ist.

Am 8. September 2020 brannte das berüchtigte Camp Moria auf der griechischen Insel Lesbos vollständig ab. Die großflächigen und langanhaltenden Brände, die gut dokumentiert und nahezu live über soziale Medien übertragen wurden, brachten die anhaltende Politik der Abschreckung durch unmenschliche Bedingungen in Europas Hotspot-Lagern in der Ägäis zurück in das mediale Rampenlicht.

Durch die Verhaftung der sechs Geflüchteten als vermeintliche Schuldige wurde versucht, eine weitere öffentliche Debatte über die Lebensbedingungen im Lager und die politische Verantwortung der EU und des griechischen Staates im Keim zu ersticken. Die Brände ereigneten sich zu einer Zeit, als die Zahl der im Lager lebenden Menschen 12.000 erreicht hatte, Bewegungseinschränkungen seit fast sechs Monaten in Kraft waren und sich eine wachsende Angst vor Covid-19 im Lager ausbreitete. Eine Woche vor dem Brand war die erste Person im Lager positiv auf das Virus getestet worden. Anstatt die Menschen aus dem Lager zu evakuieren und ihre Lebensbedingungen zu verbessern, plante die Regierung, das gesamte Lager mit einem doppelten Nato-Hochsicherheitszaun komplett abzuriegeln und ging gewaltsam gegen jeglichen Protest vor.

Valeria Hänsel, Migrationsforscherin und Sprecherin der Solidaritätskampagne forscht seit Jahren zur europäischen Asyl- und Migrationspolitik. Sie kennt die Hintergründe der Gerichtsverfahren:

„Die Kriminalisierung von Geflüchteten hat leider eine lange Tradition in den Europäischen Hotspot-Lagern auf den griechischen Inseln. Immer wieder wurden Proteste gegen die unhaltbaren Zustände in den Lagern gewaltsam niedergeschlagen und Geflüchtete trotz mangelnder Beweise über Monate in Untersuchungshaft festgehalten und in Verfahren, die grundlegende Rechtsstandards verletzen, vor Gericht gestellt. In der aktuellen politischen Situation, in der Schutzsuchende systematisch Opfer von gewaltsamen illegalen Pushback-Operationen werden und Menschen unter katastrophalen Bedingungen in geschlossenen Lagern untergebracht werden, ist diese Praxis besonders verstörend.“

Am 11. Juni findet das Gerichtsverfahren auf der griechischen Insel Chios statt. Die Solidaritätskampagne wird dazu eine Pressekonferenz (online) veranstalten mit der Migrationsforscherin und Prozessbeobachterin Valeria Hänsel, die aktuell vor Ort ist, sowie der Vertreterin der Solidaritätskampagne #FreeTheMoria6 Oda Becker.

Als Pressevertreter*innen sind Sie herzlich eingeladen daran teilzunehmen mit der Bitte um eine vorherige Anmeldung unter freethemoria@riseup.net .

Link zum Statement:

https://freethemoria6.noblogs.org/deutsch-forderung-nach-einem-fairen-und-transparenten-prozess-fur-die-angeklagten-moria-6-auf-der-grundlage-der-unschuldsvermutung/

Weitere Informationen und Kontakte (auch während des Prozesses):

Valeria Hänsel, Migrationsforscherin und Sprecherin von #FreeTheMoria6

E-Mail: freethemoria6@riseup.net

Twitter: #FreeTheMoria6

Blog: https://freethemoria6.noblogs.org/

Pressekonferenz:

11. Juni, 16 Uhr MEZ, mit Pressesprecherinnen Valeria Hänsel und Oda Becker

Anmeldung: freethemoria6@riseup.net

Posted in General | Comments Off on Press release: After the fire in Moria camp, Lesvos: 70 organizations from Europe demand fairness and transparency in the trial of the six accused refugees

#FreeTheMoria6 – After the Fire in Moria Camp: Call for a fair and transparent trial for the accused Moria 6 based on the presumption of innocence!

Posted on 2021/05/25 by can't evict solidarity

— English – Deutsch – Français – Español – Italiano – ελληνικά – Farsi —

#FreeTheMoria6 – After the Fire in Moria Camp: Call for a fair and transparent trial for the accused Moria 6 based on the presumption of innocence!

On 11 June 2021, the trial against four of the six teenage migrants accused of burning down Moria Camp will take place on the Greek island of Chios. From the moment of their arrest and before any due process of law, they have been presented to the public as the culprits. Two co-accused minors were already convicted to prison sentences in March, despite a lack of evidence and a trial riddled with irregularities.

We are deeply concerned that their right to a fair and just trial based on the presumption of innocence is not guaranteed and that they are instead made scapegoats for the inhumane EU migration policy. We stand in solidarity with the Moria 6 & against the deadly European border regime!

On 8 September 2020, the infamous refugee camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesvos burned down, fanned by a strong wind. The widespread and long-lasting fires, well-documented and almost live-broadcasted via social media, brought the ongoing policy of deterrence through inhumane conditions in Europe’s Hotspot Camps in the Aegean region back into the international media spotlight. (Footnote 1)

Rather than seeing the fire as an inevitable disaster in a deadly camp infrastructure, the Greek state arrested six young Afghan migrants and presented them as the culprits and sole cause for the fire, attempting to stifle further public debate on the living conditions inside the camp and the political responsibility. The fires took place at a time when the number of people living in the camp had reached 12,000, movement restrictions had been in place for almost six months and a growing fear of Covid-19 was spreading inside the camp. One week prior to the fire, the first person had been tested positive. Instead of moving infected people out of the camp and improving the living conditions for the people trapped inside, the government planned to completely seal off the entire camp with a double high-security Nato-wired fence and cracked down violently on any protest. (Footnote 2)

Not only do authorities deny any responsibility, there is also reason to assume that the accused cannot expect a fair and just trial. They were presented by authorities as guilty from the moment of their arrest. The Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum stated – only one week after the fire – that “the camp was set on fire by six Afghan refugees who were arrested”, violating their right to a fair trial under the presumption of innocence. Five of the Moria 6 were minors when they were arrested, but only two of them were recognised as such by the Greek state and consequently treated according to the Juvenile Criminal Code.

Concerns have already come to pass when the two officially recognized as minors stood trial in March 2021. At that time, the two had already been held in pre-trial detention for almost six months, the legal maximum period for minors, and consequently should have been released soon. In a hastily convened court hearing that flouted basic procedural standards of fairness (footnote 3), they were found guilty despite lack of evidence and sentenced to five years in prison.

The case of the Moria 6 is not the first time that migrants have been arbitrarily arrested and charged in Greece (see Moria 35). This practice has long been part of the inhumane EU border regime. However, in the current political environment, the criminalisation of migration has reached a new level, as have the illegal pushbacks of migrants by the authorities.

We call for fair and transparent trial on 11th of June!

We stand in solidarity with the Moria 6 & against the deadly European border regime!

We call on the EU and the Greek state to take responsibility for the inhuman camps they purposefully created and for the human suffering that is resulting thereof!
– Stop the containment of people at the margins of the EU!
– End the EU-Turkey Deal!
– No more Morias!
– Free the Moria 6!

++ Sign the appeal, share the information, organise solidarity actions under the hashtag #FreeTheMoria6 ++

All soldarity groups who want to sign, please sent an email by latest 5 June 2021 to freethemoria6@riseup.net

Footnotes:

(1) The fire had been preceded by many smaller ones throughout the years, e.g. caused by faulty wires or during cooking. They claimed the lives of two Kurdish migrants in November 2016, of Faride Tajik in September 2019, and of a 6-year-old girl in March 2020. No state agency, governing institution or camp management official has been held accountable for these fires resulting from overcrowding and a deadly camp infrastructure until this day.

(2) From March to September 2020, while movement restrictions were imposed on the camp, there was continuous protest: against the lack of public health measures, hunger strikes against arbitrary detention, demonstrations following outbreaks of deadly violence. Police responded by blocking the camp’s communication with the outside world, threatening suspected organisers with arrest, sometimes using tear gas and smoke bombs. The response to the fire was no different. The Greek state declared a state of emergency, sent riot police units from Athens to Lesvos, and used tear gas against migrants who had lost all their belongings in the fire and were scattered in the street, camping on the roadsides. The police also failed to protect people when armed far-right groups harassed them.

(3) For instance, the prosecution’s crown witness, who had caused the arrest of the accused through his testimony, did not appear and allegedly could not be located by the authorities. However, the prosecution was permitted to read out his written declaration, despite lawyers’ objection that this violated the defendants’ right to cross examine any witness against them, a fundamental right confirmed by ECHR.

Posted in Call, General, Moria6 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on #FreeTheMoria6 – After the Fire in Moria Camp: Call for a fair and transparent trial for the accused Moria 6 based on the presumption of innocence!

Podcast on the case and trial of Moria 6 in German radio

Posted on 2021/05/21 by can't evict solidarity

Here you can listen to the podcast on the case and trial of Moria 6, which was first broadcast on 30.04.2021 in German Radios.

—–

YOU CAN’T EVICT SOLIDARITY, a podcast for solidarity without borders | Episode 1: The Moria 6 – first convictions after the fires in the Moria camp in September 2020

You can find the podcast here:

Moria 6 – Teil 1

 

(Alternatively you can listen to it here: https://www.radiostimme.at/still-in-solidarity-ii-gerichtsprozess-zum-brand-in-moria/)

With this episode the podcast of the anti-repression campaign You can’t evict solidarity starts with the first episode on Stadtradio Göttingen!
After the European hotspot camp Moria on Lesvos burned down completely in September 2020, 6 young people were arbitrarily arrested. Two of them have now been sentenced a year later without any evidence.
We talk about the catastrophic conditions in the camp, about the fires in September 2020, about the inhumane policies of closure and incarceration of the EU and the Greek state, about protests and resistance of those affected and about the blatant repression arbitrarily imposed on refugees.

You can’t evict solidarity is an anti-repression campaign that supports people fleeing after cases of state or other institutional repression. You can find more info on the blog cantevictsolidarity.noblogs.org.

Here you can find the song “Dead Rabbits” and the video of Mohammed Hussein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCxVVT2FK8

The sampler “The Balkan Route” by NoBorders Music Collective with the tracks “Fuck Being A Refugee” by Amine Oucheri, Anon & Kasoz and “Dile Min Biaxiva (Kurdish Cowboy Version)” by Salman Duski can be found here: https://musicnoborders.bandcamp.com/

You can listen to the track “Να κάνουμε έφοδο” by Daisy Chain here: https://daisychaingr.bandcamp.com/

Hier findet ihr den am 30.04.2021 zuerst ausgetrahlten Podcast zum Fall und Prozess der Moria 6 zum Nachhören.

——- German ——–

YOU CAN’T EVICT SOLIDARITY, ein Podcast für grenzenlose Solidarität | Folge 1: Die Moria 6 – erste Verurteilungen nach den Bränden im Lager Moria im September 2020

(Alternativ könnt ihr ihn auch hier anhören: https://www.radiostimme.at/still-in-solidarity-ii-gerichtsprozess-zum-brand-in-moria/)

Mit dieser Folge startet der Podcast der Antirepressions-Kampagne You can’t evict solidarity mit der ersten Folge im Stadtradio Göttingen!
Nachdem im September 2020 das europäische Hotspot-Lager Moria auf Lesvos komplett niederbrannte, wurden willkürlich 6 Jugendliche verhaftet. Zwei von ihnen wurden nun ein Jahr später ohne jegliche Beweise verurteilt.
Wir sprechen über die katastrophalen Zustände im Lager, über die Brände im September 2020, über die menschenverachtenden Abschottungs- und Einsperrpolitiken der EU und des griechischen Staates, über Proteste und Widerstände der Betroffenen und über die krassen Repressionen, die willkürlich gegen Geflüchtete verhängt werden.

You can’t evict solidarity ist eine Antirepressions-Kampagne, die Menschen auf der Flucht nach Fällen staatlicher oder anderer institutioneller Repression unterstützt. Mehr Infos findet ihr auf dem Blog cantevictsolidarity.noblogs.org

Hier findet ihr den Song “Dead Rabbits” und das Video von Mohammed Hussein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNCxVVT2FK8

Den Sampler “The Balkan Route” vom NoBorders Music Collective mit den Tracks “Fuck Being A Refugee” von Amine Oucheri, Anon & Kasoz und “Dile Min Biaxiva (Kurdish Cowboy Version)” von Salman Duski findet ihr hier: https://musicnoborders.bandcamp.com/

Den Track “Να κάνουμε έφοδο” von Daisy Chain könnt ihr euch hier anhören: https://daisychaingr.bandcamp.com/

Posted in Lesbos, Moria6, Podcast | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Podcast on the case and trial of Moria 6 in German radio

[10th March 2021] [Lesvos] Outrageous court decision – Two people arbitrarily convicted for setting fire to Moria camp

Posted on 2021/05/21 by can't evict solidarity

Article from https://cantevictsolidarity.noblogs.org/:

Justice for the Moria 6!

For a detailed outline of the trial procedure see post of the lawyers by Legal Centre Lesvos: https://legalcentrelesvos.org/2021/03/09/justice-for-the-moria-6/

On 9th of March 2021, A.A. and M.H. were found guilty for “arson with risk to human life” and sentenced to 5 years imprisonment, of which they will have to serve two and a half years in Avlona prison on the Greek mainland.

The two young men from Afghanistan had come to Lesvos seeking asylum as unaccompanied minors and were 17 years old at the time of their arrest. They were arrested after Moria camp burnt to the ground on 8th of September 2020 and held for six moths in pre-trial detention.

The court procedure was permeated with irregularities and failed the core standards of fairness – it was obvious that the two defendants had been determined guilty long before the procedure had even started. It is clear that both of them have been used in a politicized game, made to serve as a scapegoat for the events on 8th September, when the camp burned down.  Their conviction should distract from the disastrous situation in the European hotspot camps and the failure of the Greek state to provide adequate protection for refugees that became once again obvious through the fire.

During the trial supporters and friends were sent away by the police, fined or threatened with further repression. For “security reasons” they were not allowed to enter the court room – allegedly in order to protect the identity of defendants in the juvenile court – while 5-7 police officers were constantly present. The supporters were also harrassed while waiting in front of the court. Some were fined 300 Euros for their mere presence. The day before, when the trial was supposed to start but then postponed, one person was even taken to the police station and had his personal belongings searched.

Many people had come from the new Kara Tepe camp to testify in support of the defendants in order to give an alibi, however only two defense witnesses were allowed to participate in the trial. Meanwhile, the prosecution brought 17 witnesses to testify against the defendants. They did not present any credible evidence against them. 

The core witness – an Afghan community leader – who had caused their arrest through his testimony failed to show up at the trial and could not be located by the authorities. Nevertheless, his written testimony was considered credible.

Most of the other witnesses only testified about personal losses caused by the fire that were not focused on positively identifying the defendants. Only two police officers claimed to have identified the defendants based on a video showing two people with similar clothes from behind. However, the officers contradicted themselves in their testimonies, describing one of the defendants as “tiny and short” while he is in fact much taller than the testifying police officer himself. 

In the end, the defendants were at least aquitted of the charge of ‘membership of a criminal group’ – which could have together with the charge of “arson with risk to human life” resulted in a sentence of up to 15 years. Their lawyers from Legal Centre Lesvos will also appeal the conviction. 

Nevertheless, the conviction of the two is another outragous example of how people on the move are criminalized in order to divert attention from those who bear responsibility for the existance of a camp such as Moria and now its successor Kara Tepe. We are sick and tired of watching one case after another of migrants being arbitrarily arrested, beaten, humilitated, detained and sentenced to jail by the so-called “justice system”. This game is as transparent and ridiculous as it is violent, racist and disgusting. Those who have to pay with their lives are the people who enact their right to freedom of movement and are therefore disenfranchised and punished. 

As on so many occasions before, after following court procedures against people on the move, we are sad and angry. The 9th of March was a terrible day for anyone struggling for justice and equality. But we have to keep fighting. Four more people accused for setting Moria on fire will probably have their trials soon. The two sentenced people, A.A. and M.H., will appeal the decision. 

We have to spread the news, scream in the face of those responsible: those who created the hotspot camps and the EU-Turkey deal, those who keep the camps running and those who profit from this system of racism and inequality.

Freedom for the Moria 6!

Posted in 2 of 6, Lesbos, Minors, Moria6, Prison, Sentence | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on [10th March 2021] [Lesvos] Outrageous court decision – Two people arbitrarily convicted for setting fire to Moria camp

[8th March 2021] [Lesbos] Freedom for the imprisoned Moria 6 – Greek state opens trial against two of the six accused after the fire in Moria 2020

Posted on 2021/05/21 by can't evict solidarity

Article from https://cantevictsolidarity.noblogs.org/:

Freedom for the imprisoned Moria 6 – Greek state opens trial against two of the six accused after the fire in Moria 2020

Λευτεριά στους 6 φυλακισμένους για τη φωτιά στη Μόρια – Ξεκίνησε η δίκη δύο από τους έξι κατηγορούμενους για την πυρκαγιά στη Μόρια το 2020

——————————-Ελληνικό κείμενο παρακάτω—————————–

Today, on 8th of March, the court of Mytilini, Lesvos, opened the trial against two young men from Afghanistan. The two arrived to Greece as unaccompanied minors, and were only 17 at the time of their arrest. They are part of the group of six people accused of ‘arson with risk to human life’, who were arrested after the events of September 8, 2020, when Moria camp burned to the ground.

The two defendants, who were arrested as minors, have by now been in pre-trial detention for nearly six months – the maximum time for pretrial detention of minors. The court mobilized several witnesses for the trial, among them the camp management, the police and residents of Moria village. Monitoring the trial is made impossible, because of heavy police presence at the court, and strict and disproportionate Covid-19 movement restrictions. Furthermore, because the defendants were minors at the time of their arrest, their trial is closed to the public.

The trial officially started today, but was immediately interrupted because one of the defendants is ill and suffering from fever. It was only postponed until tomorrow.

So far, the public prosecutor’s office has not presented any credible evidence against any of the six defendants that suggests they were at all involved in the desperate act of resistance of setting the multiple fires which ultimately destroyed the inhumane European Hotspot, Moria camp. However, it seems the authorities are intent on scapegoating the Moria 6 for Europe’s deadly border violence.

There is only one witness against all 6 of the defendants – one of the then Afghan community leaders in Moria Camp. It has been a common practice of the police in Lesvos to coerce community leaders into providing information, through threats of arrest, or in exchange for advantages such as being allowed to leave the island. The 6 defendants are all part of the Hazara Shia minority, which has historically been subjected to violent persecution and systematic discrimination by both Tajic and Pashtu Sunni majorities, along class, race, and religious lines. The only witness against them is Pashtu.

Five of the accused were minors at the time of their arrest, and the sixth was only 18. However, three of the five minors had been unlawfully registered as adults when they arrived in Greece. These three presented original national identification documents to the court following their arrest, showing their actual age, and requested age assessments by medical professionals. Despite this, the documents were rejected as fraudulent, the state medical examiner assessed them as adults, and they continue to be treated as adults by the Greek state.

The two defendants facing trial tomorrow are the two who were recognised as minors at the time of their arrest.

It is likely that the facts will not matter in court. The Greek state is determined to find someone guilty for burning down Europe’s pilot project of the “hot spot” model of detention, confinement on the islands in hellish conditions, and deterence. State authorities had already determined their guilt long before any trial took place. Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, in an interview with CNN on 16 September 2020, stated “the camp was burned by six Afghani refugees who have been arrested.” In response to a question about the welfare of unaccompanied minors made homeless by the fire, Mitarakis responded by saying that two minors had been arrested alongside four others according to police footage for causing the fire and that “the reason they caused the fire was to blackmail the Greek and other governments to move them out of Moria.”

In September 2020, pictures of the burning camp were circulated in international media, drawing attention once again to the cruel and inhuman treatment people are subject to in Greek’s refugee camps. The fire became a symbol of people’s resistance to this treatment and confinement. It not only brought to light the cruelty of the European border regime but also exposed the Greek state’s disastrous failure to provide protection to migrants, as well as its failure to fulfill its role as “shield of Europe” that the EU Commissioner had assigned to Greece in March 2020.

Over the years, numerous criminal prosecutions in Lesvos have shown that the Greek state will crush any resistance to Europe’s border regime through collective punishment, using the police and courts to arbitrarily arrest, then convict and sentence migrants to long prison sentences, without any evidence, following any protest against state opression. For example, in the summer of 2017, the Moria 35 were violently and arbitrarily arrested on the basis of racial profiling after months of escalating protests and collective organising in Mytilene and inside Moria camp. In their trial, held nine months later in the Mixed Jury Court of Chios, 32 of the 35 were found guilty of causing dangerous bodily harm and given a 26-month suspended prison sentence. In a similar case of the Moria 8, those arbitrarily arrested following a fire in Moria, were eventually acquitted, but 1 of the 8 had previously been held in pre-trial detention for months.

We will not accept that the lives of six young people will be destroyed! We will not let the state and media treat them as scapegoats for the brutality and cruelty of the European border policies of confinement! We demand freedom for all imprisoned and accused!

Solidarity with the Moria 6! Your struggle is our struggle!

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Λευτεριά στους 6 φυλακισμένους για τη φωτιά στη Μόρια – Ξεκίνησε η δίκη δύο από τους έξι κατηγορούμενους για την πυρκαγιά στη Μόρια το 2020

Σήμερα, 8 Μαρτίου 2021, στο δικαστήριο της Μυτιλήνης ξεκίνησε η δίκη δύο νεαρών άνδρων από το Αφγανιστάν. Οι δύο τους είχαν φτάσει στην Ελλάδα ως ασυνόδευτοι ανήλικοι και ήταν μόλις 17 ετών τη στιγμή της σύλληψής τους. Είναι οι δύο από τους νεαρούς που κατηγορούνται για «εμπρησμό με κίνδυνο για την ανθρώπινη ζωή», οι οποίοι συνελήφθησαν μετά τα γεγονότα της 8ης Σεπτεμβρίου 2020, όταν το camp της Μόριας καταστράφηκε από φωτιά.

Οι δύο κατηγορούμενοι, οι οποίοι συνελήφθησαν ως ανήλικοι, είναι προφυλακισμένοι εδώ και σχεδόν έξι μήνες — το μέγιστο επιτρεπόμενο χρονικό διάστημα προφυλάκισης ανηλίκων. Το δικαστήριο έχει κλητεύσει αρκετούς μάρτυρες για τη δίκη, μεταξύ των οποίων τη διοίκηση του στρατοπέδου, μπάτσους και κάτοικους του χωριού Μόρια. Η παρακολούθηση της δίκης δεν είναι εφικτή, λόγω της μεγάλης παρουσίας της αστυνομίας στο δικαστήριο και των αυστηρών και δυσανάλογων περιορισμών κίνησης με πρόσχημα τον κορονοϊό. Επιπλέον, επειδή οι κατηγορούμενοι ήταν ανήλικοι κατά τη σύλληψή τους, η δίκη τους είναι κλειστή για το κοινό.
Η δίκη ξεκίνησε επίσημα σήμερα, αλλά διακόπηκε αμέσως επειδή ένας από τους κατηγορούμενους είναι άρρωστος και έχει πυρετό. Αναβλήθηκε μόνο μέχρι αύριο.
Μέχρι στιγμής, η εισαγγελία δεν έχει παρουσιάσει αξιόπιστα αποδεικτικά στοιχεία εναντίον οποιουδήποτε από τους έξι κατηγορούμενους που να στοιχειοθετούν ότι συμμετείχαν με οποιονδήποτε τρόπο στην απεγνωσμένη πράξη αντίστασης των πολλαπλών εστιών φωτιάς που τελικά κατέστρεψαν το απάνθρωπο ευρωπαϊκό hotspot, το camp της Μόριας. Ωστόσο, φαίνεται ότι οι αρχές προτίθενται να χρησιμοποιήσουν τους 6 συλληφθέντες της Μόριας ως αποδιοπομπαίους τράγους έναντι της θανάσιμης βία της Ευρώπης στα σύνορά της.

Υπάρχει μόνο ένας μάρτυρας εναντίον και των 6 κατηγορουμένων: ένας από τους τότε ηγέτες της αφγανικής κοινότητας στο camp της Μόριας. Αποτελούσε κοινή πρακτική της αστυνομίας στη Λέσβο να πιέζει τους ηγέτες της κοινότητας να παρέχουν πληροφορίες, απειλώντας τους με σύλληψη, ή προσφέροντας ανταλλάγματα, όπως η δυνατότητα να φύγουν από το νησί [βλ.: https://legalcentrelesvos.org/2018/09/02/police-coerce-community-leaders-to-turn-over-individuals-responsible-for-violence-in-moria-camp/]. Οι 6 κατηγορούμενοι ανήκουν όλοι τους στη σιιτική μειονότητα της φυλής Χαζαρά, η οποία ιστορικά έχει υποστεί βίαιες διώξεις και συστηματικές ταξικές, φυλετικές και θρησκευτικές διακρίσεις από τις κυρίαρχες σουνιτικές φυλές, τόσο από τους Τατζίκους όσο και από τους Παστού. Ο μόνος μάρτυρας εναντίον τους ανήκει στη φυλή Παστού.

Πέντε από τους κατηγορούμενους ήταν ανήλικοι τη στιγμή της σύλληψής τους και ο έκτος ήταν μόνο 18 ετών. Ωστόσο, τρεις από τους πέντε ανηλίκους είχαν καταχωριστεί παράνομα ως ενήλικες όταν έφτασαν στην Ελλάδα. Και οι τρεις τους, μετά τη σύλληψή τους, παρουσίασαν στο δικαστήριο ταξιδιωτικά έγγραφα που έδειχναν την πραγματική ηλικία τους και ζήτησαν αξιολογήσεις ηλικίας από επαγγελματίες του ιατρικού τομέα. Παρ’ όλα αυτά, τα έγγραφα απορρίφθηκαν ως πλαστά, ο κρατικός γιατρός που τους εξέτασε τους αξιολόγησε ως ενήλικες και εξακολουθούν να αντιμετωπίζονται ως ενήλικες από το ελληνικό κράτος.
Οι δύο κατηγορούμενοι που θα βρεθούν αύριο στο δικαστήριο είναι οι δύο που αναγνωρίστηκαν ως ανήλικοι κατά τη σύλληψή τους.
Είναι πιθανό ότι τα πραγματικά γεγονότα δεν θα έχουν καμία σημασία στο δικαστήριο. Το ελληνικό κράτος είναι αποφασισμένο να βρει κάποιον ένοχο για τη φωτιά που κατέστρεψε το πιλοτικό σχέδιο της Ευρώπης για το πρότυπο «hotspot» αποτροπής μέσω της κράτησης και αποκλεισμού στα νησιά κάτω από απάνθρωπες συνθήκες. Οι κρατικές αρχές είχαν ήδη καθορίσει την ενοχή τους πολύ πριν διεξαχθεί οποιαδήποτε δίκη. Ο υπουργός μετανάστευσης και ασύλου, Νότης Μηταράκης, σε συνέντευξή του στο CNN στις 16 Σεπτεμβρίου 2020, δήλωσε ότι «το στρατόπεδο κάηκε από έξι Αφγανούς πρόσφυγες που συνελήφθησαν». Η απάντησή του στην ερώτηση για τις συνθήκες ζωής των ασυνόδευτων ανηλίκων που έμειναν άστεγοι από την πυρκαγιά ήταν ότι δύο ανήλικοι συνελήφθησαν μαζί με τέσσερις άλλους σύμφωνα με τα βίντεο της αστυνομίας ως υπαίτιοι για την πυρκαγιά και ότι «ο λόγος που προκάλεσαν τη φωτιά ήταν για να εκβιαστούν οι ελληνικές και άλλες κυβερνήσεις και να τους απομακρύνουν από τη Μόρια» [βλ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52lWG65Wbq4].

Τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2020, φωτογραφίες από το καμένο camp κυκλοφόρησαν στα διεθνή μέσα ενημέρωσης, τραβώντας την προσοχή στις σκληρές και απάνθρωπες συνθήκες που υποχρώνονται να υποστούν οι έγκλειστοι στα στρατόπεδα προσφύγων της Ελλάδας. Η φωτιά έγινε σύμβολο της αντίστασης σε αυτήν τη μεταχείριση και τον εγκλεισμό. Δεν έφερε στο φως μόνο τη σκληρότητα του ευρωπαϊκού συνοριακού καθεστώτος, αλλά επίσης εξέθεσε την καταστροφική αποτυχία του ελληνικού κράτους να παρέχει προστασία στους μετανάστες, καθώς και το ρόλο της «ασπίδας της Ευρώπης» που είχε αναθέσει τον Μάρτιο 2020 στο ελληνικό κράτος η ευρωπαϊκη επιτροπή.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια, αλλεπάλληλες ποινικές διώξεις στη Λέσβο έχουν δείξει ότι το ελληνικό κράτος είναι αποφασισμένο να συντρίψει οποιαδήποτε αντίσταση στα σύνορα της Ευρώπης, εφαρμόζοντας πρακτικές συλλογικής ευθύνης, χρησιμοποιώντας την αστυνομία και τα δικαστήρια για να συλλάβει αυθαίρετα, να διώξει και να καταδικάσει σε μεγάλες ποινές φυλάκισης και χωρίς κανένα αποδεικτικό στοιχείο μετανάστες που διαμαρτυρήθηκαν ενάντια στην κρατική καταστολή. Για παράδειγμα, το καλοκαίρι του 2017, οι «35 της Μόριας» συνελήφθησαν βίαια και αυθαίρετα βάσει του φυλετικού τους προφίλ, μετά από μήνες κλιμακούμενων διαμαρτυριών και συλλογικής οργάνωσης στο camp της Μόριας και γενικότερα στο νησί αλλά. Στη δίκη τους, που διεξήχθη εννέα μήνες μετά τη σύλληψή τους στο Μεικτό Κακουργοδικείο της Χίου, 32 από τους 35 κρίθηκαν ένοχοι για πρόκληση επικίνδυνων σωματικών βλαβών και τιμωρήθηκαν με ποινή φυλάκισης 26 μηνών. Σε μια παρόμοια υπόθεση, αυτή των «8 της Μόριας», οι μετανάστες συνελήφθησαν αυθαίρετα μετά από μια πυρκαγιά στη Moria, τελικά αθωώθηκαν, αλλά ο ένας από τους 8 είχε προηγουμένως προφυλακιστεί για μήνες [βλ. http://legalcentrelesvos.org/2018/11/29/the-case-of-the-moria-35-a-15-month-timeline-of-injustice-and-impunity/].

Δεν θα ανεχτούμε να καταστραφούν οι ζωές έξι νέων ανθρώπων! Δεν θα αφήσουμε το κράτος και τα μέσα μαζικής ενημέρωσης να τους χρησιμοποιήσουν ως εξιλαστήρια θύματα έναντι της βαρβαρότητας και της σκληρότητας των ευρωπαϊκών πολιτικών εγκλεισμού στα σύνορα!

Απαιτούμε λευτεριά για όλους τους φυλακισμένους και κατηγορούμενους!
Αλληλεγγύη με τους 6 της Μόριας! Ο αγώνας τους είναι και δικός μας!

Posted in 2 of 6, Minors, Moria6 | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on [8th March 2021] [Lesbos] Freedom for the imprisoned Moria 6 – Greek state opens trial against two of the six accused after the fire in Moria 2020