Category Archives: Blog

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”

People in distress called the Greek emergency service and were told help was coming. They then photographed and filmed Greek Coast Guard vessel LS-060 alongside them. Hours later, Turkish authorities recorded the rescue of 27 people from a life raft and stated that they had been pushed back by Greek assets. 4 September 2026 –Continue reading “Greek Coast Guard Vessel LS-060 Documented During Illegal Pushback of 27 People”

Something significant has changed in the way people are reaching Greece. For years, the eastern Aegean was the country’s main maritime gateway. Boats crossed the narrow stretches of water separating Turkey from Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and other Greek islands. Today, the picture is very different. Nearly 12,000 people have reached Greece from Libya soContinue reading “From the Aegean to Crete: Why Are Refugee Routes to Greece Changing?”