Greek authorities have issued a European arrest warrant against Norwegian human rights activist Tommy Olsen, who leads an organisation supporting migrants.
Olsen runs the Aegean Boat Report, a Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up in 2018 to monitor and share data on people seeking refuge on the Greek islands.
“I know I will be arrested. That’s no question,” Olsen told EUobserver on Thursday (12 February) from his home in Tromsø.
The latest Greek-led crackdown against Olsen came when police in Norway on Wednesday informed his lawyer that Athens had issued an European Arrest Warrant (EAW).
Greece had already issued a national warrant for his arrest two years ago amid human trafficking allegations. Olsen never returned, fearing some 20 years in prison.
Mary Lawlor, the United Nations special rapporteur for human rights defenders, plus Amnesty International and others, also spoke out in Olsen’s defence at the time.
The national warrant in 2024 came with a letter warning that they would also eventually issue an EAW.
“It’s [EAW] much more serious, because this case has landed in Norway and Norwegian authorities who have to decide what to do,” explained Olsen.
“I might be arrested today, tomorrow, I don’t know … which is kind of difficult to plan ahead. So I’m working as normal,” he said, adding it has a has deep impact on his family and work.
Possible 20 years in a Greek jail
Neither Olsen nor his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes have yet seen the latest warrant.
“We have have confirmation that it’s in Norway, and the police are figuring out what to do about it,” said Risnes, in a telephone interview.
Under normal procedures, police would arrest Olsen and imprison him pending investigations.
But Risnes says they have reached out to the Norwegian police several times and are willing to cooperate in order to avoid any pre-trial detention.
“I think we should be able to avoid that, but the European arrest system is quite strict. You’re more or less obliged to do what the other country demands from you,” he said.
The worse outcome is extradition to Greece, says Risnes.
“If you count everything together, you get up to around 20 years in prison,” he said of Olsen’s case, which likely dates back to a 2021 incident when eight asylum seekers arrived on Greek island of Kos.
Greek human rights defender Panagiotis Dimitras alerted authorities of their arrival. Olsen did the same, leading both men to being indicted.
Although the Greek case against him was several hundred pages long, Olsen, at the time, said his name was only mentioned twice.
But the Greek pressure against Olsen began back in 2020, when the country’s migration and asylum minister, Notis Mitarachi accused him of facilitating “illegal migratory flows”.
Greece only earlier this year lost a similar case against 24 humanitarians after an eight-year legal battle. All were facing felony charges on the Greek island of Lesbos for their search-and-rescue efforts.
Some risked 20 years in prison. Although the court of appeal acquitted them of all charges, the case has shone a light on the intense pressure faced by such workers.
And the mental toll of facing 20 years in prison over an eight-year legal battle is likely to create a chilling effect on others who may wish to help rescue or offer aid to people seeking refuge in Europe.
“There is no evidence. They continue doing this because they can and because it’s a deterrent to others who perhaps think of moving into this line of work,” warned Olsen.