The Syrian refugee assistant Sarah Mardini, who lives in Berlin, is being released for now after her arrest in Greece. The judiciary has upheld the request for an end to pre-trial detention of the 23-year-old and four other members of the ERCI (Emergency Response Center International), one of their lawyers said Tuesday.
A Greek activist has been in freedom since last week, the other four defendants, among them the German-Irish activist Sean Binder, should be released until Thursday, after paying a deposit.
A total of 30 ERCI members are being investigated on suspicion of illegal refugee assistance. The Greek authorities accuse Mardini of some of the most serious crimes ever faced by a refugee worker in Greece: she is a member of a criminal network that facilitates the entry of illegal migrants. It is accused of smuggling, money laundering and even espionage.
Together with her sister, the Olympic swimmer Yusra Mardini, she fled Syria in 2015. In a boat full of refugees, the two tried to get to the Greek island of Lesbos. When the boat broke down, Sarah and Yusra swam for hours and pulled the boat with its 18 inmates on a rope behind them. Yusra Mardini participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics as a member of a refugee team (read a portrait of Yusra Mardini here).
For almost two years Sarah Mardini got involved with ERCI. On the coast of Lesbos, she helped with, helped hundreds of refugees who came across crowded inflatable boats across the sea. On the beach, she gave the exhausted people water to drink, spread blankets and dry socks. Until she was suddenly arrested last week.
Relieved reaction from Berlin
In addition to the lawyers, swimming coach Sven Spannekrebs from Berlin has also campaigned for the release of Sarah Mardini. He knows the swimmer since she escaped. His first response to the news from Greece: "Everyone is very happy that it finally works out, but Sarah was the last to notice that we were busy all day today, organizing the money for the bail They slept in prison and their lawyers reached them over the phone there, "Spannenkrebs told SPIEGEL.
"Sara, of course, is totally relieved, she told me: Sven, look, that it is now fast, we try that she may leave the prison tomorrow, but it could not be until the day after tomorrow so far, she probably will not tonight She is of course ecstatic, she is scheduled to come to Germany immediately after her release, she has always been combative in the past few weeks, she said: well, it is so, but I know, in the end I will I know there is no reason to blame me, she lost weight in prison, but she was well treated, she always said, do not worry about me. "
The case against Mardini continues despite the release. Two weeks ago, her lawyers filed a petition for alleviation, which is why she is now out of jail. In total, nearly 20 people in Germany and Greece were busy organizing Sarah Mardini's release.