A Greek court has cleared three Spanish and two Danish rescuers after accusations that they were trying to help illegal migrants enter Greece through the island of Lesbos. The incident happened during rescue mission in the Aegean sea.
The five rescuers faced up to 10 years in prison according to Amnesty International, but the court in Lesbos decided that the accusation has not been proven.
During the trial two Greek coastguards testified that the defendant had not notified the authorities of their rescue mission, and that they did not have the proper equipment for such a mission. The Greek coastguard arrested the five while they were returning from a rescue mission, which had been called off.
Haris Petsikos, a lawyer for the Spanish firefighters, backed them up saying that they were only trying to save lives.
The firefighters had conducted a number of such rescue missions in the Aegean, and they are believed to have assisted many migrants. The three firefighters from Spain and two volunteers from Denmark received great support from aid groups.