TWO Spaniards who attempted to smuggle eight refugees out of a Greek camp have been released on bail, subject to a payment of €2,000 due in 12 days and a ban on leaving the country until they do so.
Begoña Huarte and Mikel Zuloaga were caught with Syrians, Iraqis, Pakistanis and Iranians in their campervan intending to catch a ferry to Italy, from where they had planned to return to Mikel's native Basque Country province of Vizcaya with them.
They were caught by Greek authorities in the port of Igumenitsa in the north-west of the mainland, arrested and charged with human trafficking.
Begoña, from Navarra and Mikel said they had transported the asylum-seekers out of 'compassion' after seeing their desperate plight in the refugee camp.
From their police cell, they told reporters that their main concern was that 'the refugees were okay'.
They added that if they had the chance they 'would do it all again'.
The refugees escaped at the moment the two Spaniards were arrested, and seven of the eight have not been traced since, but they will not be detained or charged since the asylum-seekers themselves have not committed any crime, according to Greek police.
One of the refugees, an Iranian, will testify as a witness when the case is eventually tried.
He intends to say that he did not feel unsafe at any moment during the aborted journey in the Spaniards' campervan.
All the refugees had applied for asylum bar two, who are Pakistani and had planned to do so once they were out of Greece.
As for their two rescuers, the regional government of the Basque Country said they 'fully understood' what had driven them to attempt to smuggle the refugees into Spain, but 'could not condone' their method as it is against the law.
The photograph shows a press conference in Greece in which it was confirmed that the Spanish pair would be released.
