In 2018, the Greek authorities arrested Mr Binder, then age 24, and detained him for more than 100 days before releasing him on bail. “The uncertainty has scared people away from doing search and rescue,” Mr Binder previously told the Irish Examiner. Mr Binder was born in Germany but moved to Castlegregory, Co Kerry, at the age of 5. But practically in Greece the maximum sentence a person can serve is 20 years, Mr Kesses said. “Back in 2018 there was a perception that the humanitarian agents were a pull factor in migrant smuggling,” Mr Kesses said.

Source: Irish Examiner January 15, 2026 11:07 UTC