Greece seeks to toughen punishment for migrant smuggling

ATHENS

The Greek Migration Ministry on Jan. 24 said it had submitted a new bill to parliament aimed at toughening penalties for migrant trafficking, including life sentences.

"Penalties for the illegal trafficking of migrants will be toughened at all levels," the ministry said in a statement.

Sentences of up to life imprisonment are envisaged for smugglers and migrants convicted of offences may be directly expelled, it said.

Assistance provided to irregular migrants by migrants with regular status will also be criminalized, according to the proposals.

Penalties against NGO members prosecuted for migrant trafficking are also to be beefed up with prison sentences, the ministry said, adding that parliament will examine the bill next week.

In a joint statement, 56 NGOs, including the Greek branches of Doctors of the World and Doctors Without Borders, called for the immediate withdrawal of several articles that reclassify certain offences as crimes, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of tens of thousands of euros when a member of an organisation is prosecuted.

Greece was the main entry point into Europe for Syrian refugees at the height of Europe's migration crisis in 2015.

There are several legal proceedings underway against aid workers and migrants accused of being people smugglers.

Meanwhile, a boat carrying over 50 migrants sank off the Greek coast on Jan. 25, killing a woman and a boy and leaving three others missing.

"Fifty migrants have been rescued and are being cared for by the authorities," after the accident off the island of Ikria in the northern Aegean Sea, a spokeswoman said.

Ikaria lies close to Türkiye’s western coast, a frequent setoff point for migrants trying to enter the European Union.

Greece was the main entry point into Europe for Syrian refugees at the height of Europe's migration crisis in 2015.

There are several legal proceedings underway against aid workers and migrants accused of being people smugglers.