Pieter Wittenberg from Peest had to wait a long time for the continuation of his Greek trial for, among other things, espionage and human smuggling. But now there is clarity. On December 4, he will appear before the Greek court again together with 23 other humanitarian aid workers.
Between 2016 and 2017, the Peest resident was part of a group of rescuers who provided assistance to refugees on Greek islands. Among other things, they helped boat people land.
Last January, the 24 rescue workers were acquitted in the first part of their criminal case. This involved violations such as tapping into radios and not informing the coast guard.
Wittenberg then reacted with relief: “This acquittal is very important, because it means we will stand before the next judge without a criminal record.”
And that moment with the next judge is now coming. The group of 24 care providers will appear before the so-called Court of Appeal on December 4. According to the Greek justice system, this second part of the criminal process revolves around crimes such as human smuggling, money laundering and being a member of a criminal organization.
Pieter Wittenberg has announced that he will now travel to Greece again for the trial. An exciting time, but Wittenberg responds optimistically: “As care providers, we continue to believe that we have done nothing wrong. We therefore view the case and the verdict with optimism, I have confidence in the Greek constitutional state.”
It is unclear how long the second part of the process will take. Human Power, the organization that has been following the volunteers for years, says it will take several days or weeks into account for the substantive handling of the case.