The Greek government is seeking to toughen penalties for migrant trafficking. Those found guilty could face up to life imprisonment if a new bill is passed. Meanwhile, at least two more migrants died on their way to Greece in the last few days.
On Saturday (January 24), officials from the Greek migration ministry submitted a new bill to parliament aimed at toughening penalties for migrant traffickers. Those found guilty could face up to life sentences for the crime.
"Penalties for the illegal trafficking of migrants will be toughened at all levels," the ministry said in a statement, according to reports from the French press agency Agence France Presse (AFP).
As well as tougher sentences for smugglers, migrants convicted of offenses could be directly expelled, warned the government. Assistance provided to irregular migrants by migrants with regular status will also be criminalized, warned Migration Minister Thanos Plevris.
The government is not just moving against smugglers and migrants found to be on the wrong side of the law, but also against aid workers who the government feels are aiding and abetting irregular migration. Sentences against NGO workers prosecuted for crimes of migrant trafficking could also end in tougher sentences, the ministry said.
The bill is being examined by the Greek parliament this week.
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Criticism of new bill
Fifty-six NGOs, including the Greek branch of Doctors of the World and Doctors without Borders MSF, issued a joint statement in which they called for the immediate withdrawal of several articles contained within the bill, which classify some offenses as crimes punishable by up to ten years of fines of tens of thousands of euros.
The NGOs are also questioning whether the migration ministry should be allowed, under the bill, to remove an NGO from its official registry and end their work in Greece based on any charges brought against one of its members, even before a conviction has been issued.
For instance, in mid-January, a trial ended against 24 aid workers, including the Syrian swimmer Sarah Mardini, in which the defendants were acquitted. They had been charged with forming a "criminal organization" and "illegally facilitating the entry into Greece of foreign nationals from third countries," and could have faced up to 20 years in prison.
Mardini and her sister, both competitive swimmers, helped swim the migrant boat they were on to shore after it got into trouble. Sarah Mardini then stayed in contact with organizations on Lesbos, helping support other migrants arriving on the Greek island for several years after she arrived. Actions for which she was later prosecuted.
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Greek government response
Under the new law, the migration ministry could potentially use the fact of such charges and a trial to block the work of an organization whose workers might be accused of similar offenses.
The Greek government though says that its laws are about limiting irregular migration so that it can promote legal migration more effectively. Parallel to the tougher sanctions, the government proposes easing the hiring procedures for workers from third countries.
A new visa for employees of high tech companies will also be issued, as will residence permits to students from third world countries for the duration of their studies.
Asylum seekers and refugees will be offered the chance to join vocational training programs in sectors facing labor shortages, such as construction, agriculture, and tourism, reports AFP.
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Deaths at sea
Meanwhile, over the last few days, several migrants died while trying to cross the Aegean towards Greece. On Saturday (January 24), the Greek news agency ANA-MPA reported that a migrant lost his life and four more were missing while trying to cross towards the Greek island of Ikaria.
Fifty other migrants reached the Greek island and a search was launched involving the Greek coast guard, the air force and various local fishermen.
On Sunday (January 25), a woman and a boy were also reported to have drowned in the incident, according to the Greek coast guard. At least three people were still registered as missing. On Sunday, a spokesperson for the Hellenic coast guard confirmed that they would be sending in a team of divers and rescuers to continue the search for those still reported missing.
Ikaria lies not far off Turkey’s western coastline. At least 107 people died off the Greek coast in 2025, according to UNHCR data. Since 2014, according to the IOM, about 33,000 people have lost their lives or been recorded missing in the Mediterranean.
Rescuers say the circumstances of the shipwreck remain unclear, but survivors said that the vessel hit rocks near Ikaria on Saturday and caused several people to fall into the water.
A vessel operated by the European border force Frontex also took part in the search, reported the German press agency dpa.
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One suspected smuggler arrested
A statement from the Greek coast guard said four other people from the boat were taken to hospital for first aid. The bodies of the dead woman and boy were transported to the General Hospital in Samos.
Survivors told the Greek coast guard that they set off from the Cesme region of Turkey using a speedboat on Friday afternoon. The captain of the speedboat fled towards the Turkish coast after the impact with the rocks.
Also on Saturday, the Greek coast guard said one of their scheduled patrol vessels spotted a high-speed boat with migrants on board moving towards the west coast of Chios. A "pursuit followed, during which the pilot landed the boat on a Chios beach. All the passengers disembarked and fled," stated the Greek coast guard.
Following land searches, officers located 37 migrants, 16 men, 11 women and nine minors. They were taken to a closed controlled structure on Chios, stated the coast guard. One of the men, an Afghan national, stated the coast guard, was transferred to Chios general hospital for precautionary reasons.
A 43-year-old Iraqi man was arrested on suspicion of assisting the "irregular movement of migrants into Greek territory," stated the coast guard. He was reportedly identified as the trafficker by the other migrants on board.
Since the beginning of the year, 1,203 migrants have crossed towards Greece, according to data provided by UNHCR and last updated on January 25.