A refugee crisis in Greece is also ensnaring the people trying to save lives.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, January 4, 2025

Hello! In this issue:
* Human rights defenders want to keep refugees safe. In Greece, that could land you in jail.
* We revisit an American war crime that was nearly lost to history.
* Love Reveal? Tell us why and you might hear yourself on an upcoming episode.

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** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** Fortress Europe: The Fight for Refugees in Greece
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Refugees and migrants arrive at the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey in September 2015. Credit: Aris Messinis/AFP via Getty Images

In 2015, as hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war and repression were trying to reach safe havens in Europe, Norwegian Tommy Olsen decided to travel to Greece.

The country was a major gateway for migrants and refugees, and Olsen joined hundreds of volunteers helping the new arrivals. He later created an NGO, the Aegean Boat Report, which monitors the plight of asylum seekers in Europe.

Today, Olsen is a wanted man in Greece, caught up in a crackdown on refugees and people trying to defend their right to asylum.

“I didn’t know what I walked into,” Olsen says.

Mary Lawlor, the UN special rapporteur on human rights defenders, has condemned Greece’s harsh migration policies and the way its government is targeting activists like Olsen. But she says Europe as a whole is also to blame.

“The whole notion of migration is a dirty word now,” she says. “The whole notion of refugees is a dirty word now.”

This week on Reveal, reporters Dinah Rothenberg and Viola Funk from the Berlin podcast studio ACB Stories take us to Greece, where refugees and human rights defenders face legal and sometimes physical attacks from authorities trying to seal the country’s borders.
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** A Quote to Remember
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"I remember we had been given orders, take no prisoners."

Frank Hartzell had just crawled down into a shallow foxhole on his first day of battle as German artillery fire began falling all around them. When the explosions finished, he picked himself up to find that his best friend had just been killed in the frenzy of combat. The following day, New Year’s Day 1945, Hartzell battled Nazi soldiers for control of the Belgian town of Chenogne. In the aftermath, American soldiers gunned down dozens of unarmed German prisoners of war in a field, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention.

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** Help Us Celebrate 10 Years of Reveal
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Reveal host Al Letson (right) and Jonathan Jones (left) interview relatives of Billey Joe Johnson, including brother Eddie (center), for the Mississippi Goddam series. Credit: Imani Khayyam for Reveal

In 2025, we will celebrate 10 years of making the weekly radio show and podcast Reveal. Has the show made an impact on your life or community? What’s your favorite episode? What has it meant to you? Tell us and you might hear yourself on an upcoming show.


You can record a message yourself and send it to [email protected] (we can take a voice memo or an attached .aiff, .wav, or .mp3 file) or just call (415) 321-1775 and leave a voicemail. Please keep it short and sweet, up to two minutes.


** In Case You Missed It
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🎧 50 States of Mind ([link removed])

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🎧 A Whistleblower in New Folsom Prison ([link removed])

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This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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