The BVMN Criminalisation team, ELDH and Legal Center Lesvos monitored the appeal trial of Homayoun Sabetara on the 22nd of April 2024. Homayoun is an Iranian asylum seeker arrested on smuggling charges in Thessaloniki in August 2021. Sabetara’s journey from Iran to Greece, aiming to reach Germany to reunite with his children, ended with him being arrested for driving a vehicle with 7 passengers after 4 days in a forest in the Evros region, without food or water.

BVMN, LCL and ELDH noted violations of fair trial principles during the proceedings, concerning fairness and timeliness of the legal process. With the next phase of the appeal set for September 24, 2024, after 576 days of waiting, questions concern the defendant’s right to a timely and just resolution under international law.