The criminalisation case of Syrian-born, Finnish citizen and Chief Mate Ali Albokhari sentenced to a 30-year prison term for allegedly being part of the smuggling of cocaine from Columbia continues to be fought against by his wife, Elena Albokhari.
Ali Albokhari denies the charges. He remains the only crewmember of the Phoenician-M vessel remaining in prison after their 2023 arrest in the Turkish port of Eregli.
According to his wife, Ali has lost hope of release and access to justice; itself a fundamental human right.
In a recent visit to London, Elena met with an ITF seafarer representative, senior IMO representatives and Human Rights at Sea.
During that time, Elena profiled Ali’s case across media platforms to continue to raise awareness of her plight, often fighting alone for her husband’s release.
In direct support, Human Rights at Sea has produced a professional advocacy film reflecting a personal interview with Elena, released with her permission.
Elena commented: “I want to thank everyone who has supported us through this very difficult time. As an introvert, it has never been easy for me to share my feelings openly, but I believe the moment has come to speak, so that what happened to my husband will never happen to anyone else again.
I am deeply grateful to the HRAS team for their sensitivity, the right questions, and the kind atmosphere that made it possible for me to open-up and tell our story.
Let this video be the only one of its kind, I do not want families of seafarers, waiting for their loved ones for months at home, to go through such hell.”
David Hammond Esq., Founder, Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) said: “No seafarer criminalisation case is straightforward, but we are pro bono supporting the family as best we can. We are aligned with other key stakeholders and are ensuring that Elena’s very personal story is best profiled to help in some small way to bring Ali home.
This process cannot be achieved by any one entity; it involves welfare, union, industry and state-level co-ordinated diplomatic efforts to be successful.”
The film was directed by Mairi Eyres, director of photography was Mikey Sneddon, with executive oversight from Sara Pipernos and Human Rights at Sea.
ENDS.
Source: Human Rights at Sea 2025.
AI. AI was not used in the research of this article.
Photo Credit: Human Rights at Sea 2025.
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