Author Archives: Tommy Olsen

An agency whose conduct we scrutinise could gain a privileged channel for flagging our reporting to social-media platforms. At the same time, the European Commission’s proposed reform would narrow the scope of Frontex’s internal human-rights watchdog, according to Reuters. That combination demands scrutiny—not reassurance. On 27 October 2026, the Commission proposed expanding Frontex’s standing corpsContinue reading “EUROPE WANTS FRONTEX TO WATCH THE INTERNET. WHO WILL WATCH FRONTEX?”

Frontex refused to face one of its strongest critics in public. The organisers tried to accommodate that refusal. And another outspoken critic, who spent three years participating in the documentary, was never invited. This is what the filmmakers behind The Gates of Europe apparently consider an open debate about accountability. On 21 October, the filmmakersContinue reading “FRONTEX REFUSES PUBLIC SCRUTINY — AND THE ORGANISERS HELPED MAKE IT POSSIBLE”

6 October 2026 Proceedings against Aegean Boat Report founder adjourned until 6 April 2027 I was represented at the hearing by my lawyer, Zacharias Kesses, acting under my authorisation. I could not attend in person because I am subject to an arrest warrant. The case rests on an extraordinarily unjust and fundamentally flawed indictment. ItContinue reading “PRESS STATEMENT”

Today, the criminal case against me is due before a court on Rhodes. I deny the charges. For almost nine years, my work with Aegean Boat Report has been to document what happens at Europe’s borders — arrivals, people in distress, disappearances, pushbacks and human-rights violations. In March, I was arrested at my home inContinue reading “TODAY GREECE PUTS ME ON TRIAL.”

Tomorrow, a criminal case against me will come before a court on Rhodes. For years, this case has existed in police files, legal documents, arrest warrants and court decisions. It has crossed borders and eventually reached my home in Norway, where I was arrested in March. Tomorrow it reaches a courtroom. I will be inContinue reading “TOMORROW”

When we talk about the criminalisation of human-rights defenders, attention naturally tends to focus on the most visible parts: investigations, criminal charges, arrest warrants, arrests and eventually court proceedings. These are the things that make headlines, and understandably so, but they are only part of what it means to live for years under the weightContinue reading “There is a cost to being criminalised, long before anyone enters a courtroom.”

When people documenting what states do at Europe’s borders face criminal investigation and prosecution, the consequences extend far beyond the individual defendant. My case is not only about what happens inside one courtroom on Rhodes. It raises a wider question about the space available for human-rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, volunteers and organisations documenting what statesContinue reading “WHEN HUMAN-RIGHTS WORK BECOMES A CRIMINAL CASE”

On 16 March 2026, I was arrested at my home in Tromsø under a European Arrest Warrant issued by Greece. Greek authorities wanted Norway to surrender me so that I could be prosecuted in Greece. Two months later, on 15 May, the Hålogaland Court of Appeal unanimously refused. That judgment is one of the mostContinue reading “NORWAY REFUSED TO SURRENDER ME TO GREECE. HERE’S WHY THAT MATTERS.”

For documenting what happens at Europe’s borders. On 6 October, I am due to face criminal proceedings on the Greek island of Rhodes. I face three charges: • Establishing and participating in a criminal organisation. • Facilitating the unlawful entry into Greek territory of third-country nationals without the legally required border checks, jointly, in respectContinue reading “GREECE IS PUTTING THE WITNESS ON TRIAL”

New figures from the International Organization for Migration reveal a disturbing development at Europe’s borders: significantly fewer people are reaching Europe by sea, while more are dying or disappearing trying. Almost 60,000 refugees and other people on the move reached Europe by sea between January and 15 September 2026, according to new figures released byContinue reading “Fewer People Are Reaching Europe by Sea – But More Are Dying”