January (SD) -An appeals court in Greece ruled the release of a Somali refugee who was sentenced to 142 years in prison for smuggling people into Greece.

Mohamed Hanad Abdi was convicted in 2021 of operating a migrant boat that resulted in the deaths of two people while attempting to reach the Greece island of Lesbos in 2020.

The appeals court on the island of Lesbos reduced his sentence to 8 years and ordered his release, taking into account the time he has already served.

Abdi, who is 29 years old father of four, told the court that he was only a passenger on the boat and steered it after its Turkish smuggler had abandoned it, the boat later took on water, leading to the deaths of two people and the rescue of 33 others.

The case was taken up by European parliamentarians, who deemed his sentence to be harsh and unjust.