[Thessaloniki,  25.09.24] Homayoun Sabetara's appeal trial finally came to an end this  afternoon. The judges recognised that Mr. Sabetara was on his own  migration route when he got arrested by the Greek authorities and  therefore reduced  his sentence from 18 years to 7 years and four  months. After already  spending three years in prison, Homayoun Sabetara  will now be released from prison under conditions.

"I am just happy!", states his daughter Mahtab  Sabetara. Homayoun Sabetara's release is a huge relieve for his  children. After serveal postponements and more than three years of not  being able to have adequate contact, Homayoun Sabetara's appeal trial  ended with a verdict today. With his imminent release, he will finally  have access to the urgent medical care he was denied during his time in  prison.

"We will be satisfied with this medium result that  Homayoun Sabetara will be released, given that the court does not have  the courage to declare people inocent in such cases." Mr. Sabetara's  lawyer Dimitris Choulis states. "But what we are convinced of is that  people like Homayoun Sabetara do not belong in prison, not even for a  day". As the EU has made it impossible for people seeking asylum to come  to  Europe through legal ways, people are forced to cross borders on   dangerous routes, while risking to be criminalised for not having other   options at hand.

With the pronouncement of the verdict, the judges also  recoginze the lawyers' argument that Homayoun Sabetara acted neither  for profit nor for base motives. "The court has acknowledged that  Homayoun Sabetara has made this journey to be with his children in  Berlin," Harry Ladis, Mr. Sabetara's second lawyer, summarises.  Until  this day, the court has not been able to find the key witness, for whom  the trial got postponed in April. According to Harry Ladis, the fact  that the conviction was nevertheless based on his testimony, constitutes  a violation of his right to a fair trial on which the conviction could  be easly challenged in a higher court.

Nevertheless, Homayoun Sabetara and his children will  have a long way to go before he is finally acquitted. The  journey of  Homayoun Sabetara is far from ending yet. Until he does not  receive a  positive decision on his asylum request, he is still in danger  of being  forced to leave his children behind one day. The campaign   #FreeHomayoun will continue raising awareness about the circumstances  of  thousand of people having to face the same charges as Homayoun   Sabetara.