00:00The prosecution case accuses me of being a smuggler, a criminal, a spy with a threat of 25 years sentence of charges for fascinating people smuggling.
00:11It is ridiculous and obviously wrong.
00:21We would receive them on the shoreline with a blanket, water bottle and medical care if they needed.
00:27Fast forward and it's now August 2018.
00:33Three years after I reached Europe, I'm about to board a flight for a visit to Berlin and I'm suddenly surrounded by uniformed police officers.
00:44I'm being arrested by the Greek police claiming to be breaking up a criminal network.
00:49The prosecution case accuses me of being a smuggler, a criminal, a spy with a threat of 25 years sentence of charges for fascinating people smuggling.
01:00It is ridiculous and obviously wrong.
01:04After some nights in the police station, I was transferred to Koleda Rose Woman Prison in Athens.
01:11One hundred and seven long days behind bars later, I'm allowed to pay bail and finally leave.
01:28I'm out of prison but I'm not free.
01:32Until today, the Greek authorities and just to continue to insist that I and my colleagues were part of criminal network.
01:40In many countries, if you fail to help someone in need, for example a car accident, it is a crime.
01:47But we were put in prison because we decided to save lives when the governments of Europe and the world failed to do so.
02:01The dinghy is overcrowded because it's only built for seven people and now 20 people are crammed in the boat including a four-year-old child.
02:16Just 15 minutes into the journey, the boat starts taking on water and the sea is rough.
02:23And then the engine starts to fail.
02:25Yusra and I jumped in the water as we come from a Damascus family with long tradition of professional swimmers.
02:32We know we can survive in the water.
02:35We also believe if we pull our string, we can power the boat forward to the shore which is five kilometers away.
02:42The wind was so strong and the waves are so high.
02:46But after three and a half hours of pushing and pulling together, we make it to the north shore of Lesbos, Greece.
02:52But this arrival in Europe was not the end of my journey.
02:57In many ways, it was just the beginning.
03:23Despite my experience, I still support Sea Rescue.
03:27As a volunteer, I was crewed on Sea Watch 4 mission in April 2021 and I was involved in the rescue of 456 people.
03:38Today, I'm still waiting for my innocence to be proven and I'm not alone.
03:44There are more than 150 similar cases pending against humanitarians.
03:48There are more than 150 similar cases pending against humanitarians from around the world.
03:54Crashing and sometimes bizarre attempts are being made to intimidate us and stop us in our fight.
