Norway/Greece: Aegean Boat Report founder, Tommy Olsen,…

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Norway and Greece.

New information:

The Observatory has been informed about the arrest in Norway, and the risk of extradition to Greece, of Mr Tommy Olsen, a Norwegian human rights defender and founder of the NGO Aegean Boat Report, in relation to a European arrest warrant issued by the Greek authorities. Mr Olsen is the founder of Aegean Boat Report, created in 2017 as a platform documenting arrivals and distress situations of people on the move in the Aegean Sea, and formally established as a nongovernmental organisation in 2018. Aegean Boat Report also documented and denounced human rights violations committed against people on the move, including illegal pushbacks committed by authorities.

On 16 March 2026, Tommy Olsen was arrested by the Norwegian police in Tromsø, in the North of Norway, in execution of a European arrest warrant following an investigation initiated in 2022 by the Greek authorities.

On the same day, the Byretten City Court ruled that Mr Olsen would be extradited to Greece, and he was remanded in custody in Tromsø prison. His defence lawyer appealed the extradition ruling and his detention to the Hålogaland Court of Appeals, based in Tromsø.

On 20 March 2026, Mr Olsen was released, but he still faces extradition. On 27 March 2026, the appeal judge ruled that the case will be processed by the Court of Appeals, without specifying the date of the hearing. If extradited to Greece, Mr Olsen could face prolonged pretrial detention of up to 18 months, as well as a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years, on charges that constitute a reprisal for his legitimate human rights activities.

On 14 May 2024, the Investigating Magistrate of Kos issued an arrest warrant No 14/14-05-2024 against Mr Olsen. The warrant stems from a criminal investigation opened in 2022 against Mr Olsen and Mr Panayote Dimitras, co-founder and spokesperson of the Greek Helsinki Monitor, in retaliation for their legitimate work defending the rights of people on the move.

As reported by the Observatory in 2022, the investigation against both Mr Olsen and Mr Dimitras is based on charges including “participation and membership of a criminal organisation”, “facilitating the entry into Greek territory of a third-country national, committed by two or more persons for profit and in the course of their professional activity, and committed repeatedly” and “facilitating the unlawful residence of a third country national for profit and on a repeated basis”, although past case law of similar trials, including Supreme Court case law, indicates individuals cannot be charged under “criminal organisation” for one action, without clear hierarchical organisation or financial benefits, nor can there be “facilitation of entry” when supporting people with accessing the universal right to asylum.

The charges stem from their work of alerting authorities such as Hellenic Police, the Coast Guard, migration authorities, the United Nations Refugee Agency and the Greek Ombudsman of the presence of people arriving on the Greek islands of Kos in July 2021 and of their intention of applying for asylum, in alleged coordination with individuals in Turkey. Mr Olsen was only notified of the investigation in January 2023.

The Observatory recalls that the case has been marked by smear campaigns and judicial harassment, including preventive measures imposed on Mr Dimitras and, more recently, reprisals for Mr Dimitras’ anti-racist activism.

The Observatory recalls that non-governmental organisations that work on migrants’ rights play an essential role to defend the human rights of people on the move in a context of systematic violations of international human rights standards by the Greek authorities, including illegal pushbacks and collective expulsions of migrants, as denounced in 2020 by the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT). The Greek state has consistently failed to submit the information concerning the alleged intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and humanitarian workers and volunteers that was required by the UNCAT.

Yet, migrants’ rights defenders have been heavily criminalised for years. They have consistently been targeted for their legitimate work and have faced different types of attacks, including surveillance, judicial harassment, smear campaigns, entry bans and expulsion from the country. The Greek investigative authorities often leak alleged criminal investigations initiated against migrants’ rights defenders to the media, creating a climate of fear and a chilling effect among all rights defenders, as documented by the Observatory in its 2021 report “Europe: Open Season on Solidarity”.

The Observatory notes that cooperation between Greek and Norwegian authorities to arbitrarily detain Mr Olsen, a human rights defender in reprisal for his legitimate human rights activities, constitutes an act of transnational repression.

The Observatory also notes Norway’s historical role to emphasise the right of human rights defenders to exercise the right to defend rights without obstacles and free from reprisals, including through the promotion of United Nations General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions.

The Observatory further recalls that the European Parliament, in its resolution of 13 November 2025, recognised transnational repression as encompassing the misuse of legal instruments, including arrest warrants and extradition procedures, to target human rights defenders beyond national borders. It also denounces the occurrence of such practices within European Union territory and, in some instances, with the involvement or cooperation of Member States. In this context, the Observatory expresses serious concern that the actions undertaken by the Greek authorities, a Member State of the European Union, together with Norway as a partner country, constitute an instance of such practices.

The Observatory further highlights the European Parliament’s call on the European Union and its Member States to hold accountable those responsible for acts of transnational repression in violation of international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the Convention against Torture, and the Refugee Convention, and to consider targeted sanctions against perpetrators.

The Observatory strongly condemns the arrest of Mr Tommy Olsen and reiterates that human rights defenders working to protect people on the move are playing a crucial role in a context where serious violations, including illegal pushbacks and collective expulsions, have been widely documented.

Actions requested:

Please write to the authorities in Norway urging them to:

1. Guarantee in all circumstances the physical integrity and psychological well-being of Mr Tommy Olsen, and ensure full respect for his rights to due process and fair trial guarantees throughout any proceedings;
2. Immediately and unconditionally ensure that Mr Tommy Olsen is not extradited to Greece, where he would face a heightened risk of judicial harassment and prolonged arbitrary detention;
3. Ensure that international judicial cooperation mechanisms, including European arrest warrants, are not used to criminalise legitimate human rights activities, and refrain from collaborating in any form of transnational repression against human rights defenders.

Please write to the authorities in Greece urging them to:

1. Put an immediate end to all acts of judicial harassment against Mr Tommy Olsen, and ensure full respect for his rights to due process and fair trial guarantees;
2. Refrain from misusing criminal law and international cooperation mechanisms to target and transnationally repress human rights defenders, including those providing humanitarian assistance to people on the move;
3. Adopt and implement all necessary measures to protect human rights defenders, ensuring they can carry out their peaceful and legitimate activities without fear of reprisals or undue restrictions.

Addresses:

Norway:

• Prime Minister of Norway, Mr Jonas Gahr Støre, Email: postmottak@smk.dep.no; X: @jonasgahrstore
• Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ms Astri Aas-Hansen, Email: postmottak@jd.dep.no; X: @Justisdep
• Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Espen Barth Eide, Email: post@mfa.no
• Norwegian Civil Ombudsperson, Ms Hanne Harlem, Email: postmottak@sivilombudet.no
• Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Mr Tormod C. Endresen, Email: mission.geneva@mfa.no
• Ambassador of Norway to the EU, Mr Anders H. Eide, Email: eu.brussels@mfa.no

Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Norway in your respective country.

Greece:

• Prime Minister of Greece, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Email: mail@primeminister.gr ; X : @kmitsotakis / @PrimeministerGR
• Minister of Justice, Mr Georgios Floridis, Email: grammateia@justice.gov.gr ; X: @georgefloridis
• General Secretary of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Mr Panos Alexandris, Email: gensecretary@justice.gov.gr
• Ministrer of Foreign Affairs, Mr George Gerapetritis, Email: dgypex@mfa.gr ; X: @GreeceMFA
• Grec National Comission for Human Rights, Ms Maria Gavouneli, Email: info@nchr.gr ; X: @humanrights_gr / @MariaGavouneli
• Permanent Representative of Greece, Mr Ioannis Ghikas, Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Email: grdel.gva@mfa.gr ; X: @GreeceInGeneva
• Permanent Representative of Greece, Mr Ioannis Vrailas, Permanent Representation to the European Union (EU), Email: mea.bruxelles@rp-greece.be ; X: @vrailas

Please also write to the diplomatic missions or embassies of Greece in your respective country.

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Geneva-Paris, 31 March 2026

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (the Observatory) was created in 1997 by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH. The objective of this programme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression against human rights defenders. OMCT and FIDH are both members of ProtectDefenders.eu, the European Union Human Rights Defenders Mechanism implemented by international civil society.

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