Cork aid worker charged with people-trafficking in Greece

The aunt of a Cork aid worker held on people-trafficking charges in Greece has said the family thought at first his arrest was a joke.

Maja Binder said her nephew, Sean Binder, aged 24, from Togher in Cork City, always wanted to “rescue the world” and she was adamant there was no way he would jeopardise aid efforts by failing to abide with the law.

“It’s bizarre,” said Ms Binder, who lives in Dingle, Co Kerry.

We were actually smiling because it was so ridiculous. I could not believe it was a serious thing. Sean was home during the summer and he went back to meet the police voluntarily because he has nothing to hide, he has done nothing wrong.

Sean is one of three members of a Greek charity, Emergency Response Centre International, accused of serious crimes relating to their work providing aid to migrants who have fled across the Mediterranean from the Middle East.

He faces accusations of working with traffickers to move migrants across the sea to the island of Lesbos and of failing to notify the coastguard of all groups they have rescued.

Greek authorities claim up to 30 staff and volunteers are involved. the charity said.

We categorically deny the accusations,” it said.

Sean’s mother, Fanny Binder, flew to Greece yesterday to see her son and meet with a lawyer and representatives of Emergency Response Centre International who are trying to negotiate his release. Her sister said she expected to be gone for weeks.

A group of Spanish and Danish aid workers charged with similar offences in 2016 were cleared in court in May and Ms Binder said she believed the authorities were trying to intimidate aid workers.

“The only explanation I have is that they just want to scare the organisation,” she said. “There are thousands of refugees stuck on the island. They can’t go forward, they can’t go backwards. They can only sit so long in tents, in filth, with their broken children. It’s a time bomb.”

The Binders are from Germany but have lived in Ireland since Sean was five. He studied at Trinity College before going on to receive a masters in international relations at the London School of Economics.

Sean is very passionate about his work,” Ms Binder said. “All his life, since he was a child, he wanted to rescue the world. He was always questioning the world, wanting to talk about pollution and politics and human rights. But he is also very black and white in relation to the right way to do things. He would never do something he is not allowed to do.

Mr Binder is not an Irish citizen and his mother had to plead with the German embassy in Athens for help.

The Department of Foreign Affairs here said it could not comment on individual cases but added: “We can confirm we are aware of a situation involving a German citizen in Greece and the department stands ready to assist our German colleagues where appropriate.”