Norwegian Charged in Greece Rues Trial’s ‘Chilling’ Effect on Migrants’ Rights Defenders

It was just before dusk, and Tommy Olsen, from Norway, was waiting to collect his rental car at the airport on Lesvos in September 2015 when he saw a boat that had capsized just off the shore. He and a German tourist waded into the water to help the passengers, some of them children, reach land. “That was my baptism,” said Olsen, who had flown to the Greek island to help with the humanitarian crisis unfolding on its shores. According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHRC, more than 850,000 refugees and migrants arrived by boat to Greece that year. “It was an intense moment… the first of many, unfortunately,” he said. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us