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Friday, 11 May 2018, 09:53
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The three firefighters who had been accused by Greek authorities of people smuggling were back home in Seville on Thursday after their case ended.
Manuel Blanco, Julio Latorre and Quique Rodríguez were acquitted of all charges after travelling from Spain to the hearing on the Greek island of Lesbos.
In late 2015 the three men had volunteered to go to the island for charity Proem-Aid, having seen the distressing pictures of Syrians struggling to reach Europe from Turkey across the Aegean Sea. On 14 January 2016, while looking for people to bring ashore , they were arrested and accused of crimes carrying up to ten years in prison. After three days in jail they were released on 15,000 euros bail and returned to Seville to await a trial back in Greece.
The Andalusian chief public ombudsman has warned of the risks of underage illegal immigrants who arrive on the region's shores in the boats from north Africa falling into prostitution. He says that children that arrive without parents are cared for by social services until they reach 18, but after that they face an uncertain future and become cannon fodder.
Jesús de Maeztu added, In the worse cases, these kids end up on the streets, begging or involved in prostitution. He added that the authorities need to do more to speed up work permits for them.
A delegation led by the Andalusian regional minister for Justice, Rosa Aguilar, travelled with the three men this week to support them in front of the judge on Lesbos.
Releasing the men, the judge confirmed that, saving lives is not a crime. Speaking for the three, Manuel Blanco said, All of us volunteers showed the best face of Europe in the refugee crisis.
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