Greece: Migrants’ rights defenders Tommy Olsen and Panayote Dimitras to face trial on 6 October

The Observatory has been informed about the continued judicial harassment and upcoming trial of migrants’ rights defenders Mr Tommy Olsen and Mr Panayote Dimitras. Mr Olsen is a Norwegian human rights defender and the founder of Aegean Boat Report, created in 2017 as a platform documenting arrivals and distress situations of people on the move in the Aegean Sea. Mr Dimitras is the co-founder and spokesperson of the Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM), an NGO engaged in the protection of human and minority rights and in the fight against discrimination in Greece. He is also a former member of OMCT’s General Assembly.

The first-instance trial against the two defenders will be held on 6 October 2026 before the Three-Member Court of Appeal for Felonies of Dodecanese (Rhodes, Greece), following the initiation of a criminal investigation by the Investigating Judge of the Kos Court of First Instance in 2022. The case stems from emails that Mr Olsen and Mr Dimitras had respectively sent to Greek authorities in 2021, informing them of the arrival on Greek territory of third-country nationals seeking asylum – an activity that was an integral and legitimate part of their work to defend migrants' rights. For their general human rights activities as well as for alerting Greek authorities about this situation, Mr Olsen and Mr Dimitras are charged with: “Participation in a criminal organisation”, under Article 187(1)-(2) of the Greek Penal Code; “Facilitating illegal entry of eight migrants on 13 July 2021” and “Facilitating illegal residence of those migrants after arrival”, under Articles 29 and 30 of Law 4251/2014 (now Articles 24 and 25 of Law 5038/2023); and “Joint commission and criminal intent”, under Articles 26, 27, 45 and related provisions of the Greek Penal Code. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison.

On 16 March 2026, Tommy Olsen was arrested by the Norwegian police in Tromsø, in the North of Norway, in execution of a European arrest warrant issued by Greece in the context of this investigation. That same day, the Nord-Troms and Senja District Court found that the legal conditions for his surrender to Greece were met, and he was remanded in custody in Tromsø prison. His defence lawyer appealed the extradition ruling as well as his detention. On 20 March 2026, Mr Olsen was released pending the appeal ruling. On 15 May 2026, the Hålogaland Court of Appeal refused Greece's request for Tommy Olsen’s surrender. The Norwegian court confirmed that the actions for which he his prosecuted in Greece are not punishable under Norwegian law and that the charges present “a real risk of violation of his freedom of expression”.

Tommy Olsen remains at liberty in Norway and will be represented by his Greek lawyer at the trial on 6 October, without being physically present. While the criminal proceedings against him in Greece and the European Arrest Warrant remain active, he is no longer at risk of extradition from Norway.

Panayote Dimitras is currently located in Athens, Greece, subject to preventive measures pending trial, including a ban on leaving the country, an obligation to report to the police station in his place of residence every 15 days, and the payment of €10,000 in bail. He will be represented by his Greek lawyer, as mandated by law for trials on felony cases.

The Observatory recalls that the case against Mr Olsen and Mr Dimitras has been marked by smear campaigns, and that Mr Dimitras has also faced other forms of reprisal due to his anti-racist activism.

The Observatory also recalls that non-governmental organisations that work on migrants’ rights play an essential role to defend the human rights of people on the move in a context of systematic violations of international human rights standards by the Greek authorities, including illegal pushbacks and collective expulsions of migrants, as denounced in 2020 by the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT). The Greek state has consistently failed to submit the information concerning the alleged intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and humanitarian workers and volunteers that was required by the UNCAT. Such intimidation, judicial harassment and criminalisation not only affect those directly targeted, but also create a broader chilling effect on civil society, discouraging individuals and organisations from engaging in legitimate human rights monitoring, humanitarian assistance, advocacy and scrutiny of State actions for fear of reprisals, prosecution or smear campaigns. This undermines civic space, democratic accountability and the effective protection of fundamental rights.

The proceedings against migrants’ rights defenders in Greece raise concerns under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which respectively protect freedoms of expression and of association. They also raise concerns under Articles 6 and 7 of the ECHR, concerning the right to a fair trial and the principle of legality, as well as under the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, which provides protection to individuals and organisations engaged in the peaceful promotion and protection of human rights. Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) guarantees equality before courts and tribunals and the right to a fair and public hearing before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.

The Observatory condemns the continued judicial harassment against Tommy Olsen and Panayote Dimitras, which is directly linked to their legitimate human rights activities, and calls on the Greek authorities to guarantee them a fair trial, drop all charges related to their legitimate human rights activities, and put an end to their continued judicial harassment.