Athens, February 10 (RHC)-- A Greek court has acquitted 16 humanitarian workers who helped rescue refugees in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 and 2016.  They had been accused of espionage and other charges in what has been condemned as the criminalization of humanitarian work. 

But the aid workers are not in the clear yet, as they still face a separate felony trial with charges including facilitating illegal immigration and money laundering.

In other news, 13 Sudanese asylum seekers died after their boat capsized off Tunisia’s coast Wednesday. Twenty-seven other passengers were missing as of Thursday. 

The International Organization for Migration found more than 3,000 people drowned in the Mediterranean while attempting to cross to Europe in 2023.