Dutch journalist acquitted in Greece after sheltering Afghan refugee
Dutch journalist Ingeborg Beugel has been acquitted by a Greek court of charges related to sheltering an undocumented Afghan refugee, ending a legal battle that spanned more than four years. Beugel had previously been sentenced to an eight-month suspended prison term in the lower court.
Beugel first met 23-year-old Fridoon in 2018 while producing a report on the Greek refugee crisis for BNNVARA. She offered him housing in her home, and the two were arrested on June 13, 2021, on the Greek island of Hydra, where Beugel partly resides. Authorities accused her of hiding Fridoon, who was undocumented, from Greek officials. The pair were released after one day.
“I hope the public prosecutor decides there are no grounds for prosecution: the clause in the law concerns hiding undocumented persons. I never hid that Fridoon lived with me, not even in our legal correspondence,” Beugel said at the time of her arrest.
Despite her statement, Beugel was prosecuted for concealing an undocumented person, facilitating their entry into Greece—essentially human smuggling—and membership in a criminal organization. The case noted that Fridoon had already lived in Greece for three years before meeting her.
After several delays, the Piraeus Court of Appeal acquitted Beugel. The lower court had sentenced her to eight months in prison, suspended for three years.
Her lawyer described the ruling as a "victory for basic human decency." “The self-evident has prevailed. It cannot be that hospitality toward a foreigner is criminalized, regardless of their residence status. Despite recent legal measures criminalizing irregular residence, hospitality as the ultimate humanitarian act is naturally not punishable,” the lawyer told Greek outlet Efsyn.
Beugel expressed gratitude to the journalist community that supported her during the case. She specifically thanked the NVJ (Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten / Dutch Association of Journalists) and also acknowledged “all other journalistic organizations and individual journalists” who helped her over the four-year ordeal, though no other groups were named. “God, I am so glad you exist and helped me for four years,” she said.
The journalist also highlighted the state of press freedom in Greece, which ranks low according to Reporters Without Borders. “The terrible people who wanted to put me in jail for helping a refugee can go to hell. The same goes for the right-wing, racist, xenophobic politicians and their shadowy powers who want to silence journalists,” Beugel said.
In 2021, Beugel faced additional threats after confronting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a press conference, demanding an end to the government’s pushback of migrant boats. Following the broadcast, she received online threats and harassment on the streets from supporters of Mitsotakis, prompting her temporary departure from Greece.
