Tommy Olsen, 54, faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted on charges of conspiring to smuggle refugees into Greece and conceal them from authorities. He will not appear in court on Kos because Norwegian authorities refused to extradite him, having found no illegal activity in his work.
Olsen's Aegean Boat Report monitors distress calls from asylum seekers in the Aegean and alerts Greek or Turkish search and rescue services depending on jurisdiction. "When I inform Greek authorities of asylum seekers in their territory, on land, and give them their location, their names, and everything, that, supposedly, should be a good thing," Olsen told Al Jazeera. "But this the Greek authorities see as facilitating."
Norwegian authorities said the activities are protected, according to Olsen: "They looked at what the Greek authorities described I had done, and they said, 'There's nothing illegal here. It's actually protected activities.'"
Human rights organisations view the case as Greece's latest effort to silence independent monitors. The country has previously been convicted at the European Court of Human Rights for pushbacks - illegal turnarounds of potential asylum seekers that violate the 1951 Geneva Convention.
Maria Gavouneli, head of the Greek National Committee for Human Rights, said her committee has asked NGOs in the field to provide information about pushbacks. "This is not hearsay. This is a signed witness statement that can stand up in court," she told Al Jazeera. Evidence provided by Aegean Boat Report has helped shed light on at least two dozen instances of improper practices by the Hellenic Coastguard.
The Council of Europe, Europe's principal human rights body, has also weighed in. Last month it issued a decision related to Greece's practices, though the Al Jazeera article did not provide further details. The trial outcome will be closely watched by rights advocates and could have implications for how independent monitors operate in the region.