“Greece is celebrated for its hospitality, yet a 1991 law, originally aimed at Albanian migrants, is now being used for the first time to penalise solidarity with refugees,” Beugel said. She described her conviction as a punitive measure for hosting a refugee in 2021 during a government-imposed freeze on asylum applications. “The government’s inaction created a legal limbo, making the refugee appear as though he was outside the process.”
Beugel further alleged that her prosecution stemmed from her challenge to Mitsotakis during a press conference, where she questioned his government’s role in pushbacks of asylum seekers. “I was not convicted for hosting a refugee but for damaging Mitsotakis’ fabricated international image,” she stated, adding that the recent Pylos shipwreck, where over 600 refugees drowned, underscores the government’s failure to address the crisis. Beugel expressed confidence that her appeal would ultimately clear her name.
Solidarity and condemnation
KEERFA, amplifying Beugel’s statement, criticised the sentence as a calculated effort to criminalise solidarity and suppress critical voices. The group noted that the prosecutor had tied the case to “the country’s foreign relations,” suggesting that Beugel’s actions had embarrassed Greece on the international stage.
“This case exemplifies how mechanisms criminalising solidarity intersect with efforts to conceal government culpability in human rights violations, such as pushbacks at sea,” KEERFA said. The organisation also accused the government of retaliating against Beugel for her rare and direct confrontation with Mitsotakis and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte over FRONTEX operations in the Mediterranean.
KEERFA called on progressive groups, unions, and student associations to denounce Beugel’s conviction and to support campaigns for justice, particularly for victims of the Pylos shipwreck. The group also urged collective action to demand open borders and asylum for refugees amid escalating crises in Palestine and the Middle East.
Background
Beugel was sentenced on December 4 to eight months in prison with a three-year suspension for hosting a refugee in June 2021. The refugee, an asylum seeker, was later granted the status. KEERFA highlighted that Beugel’s illness had prevented her from attending the hearing, adding that her case reflects the government’s broader strategy of targeting those who show solidarity with vulnerable populations.
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