A Greek court sentenced a Syrian refugee to 52 years in prison for crossing from Turkey, The Independent reported Wednesday.

According to the daily, K.S., a refugee, crossed from Turkey to the Greek island Chios by boat together with his family and others in March 2020. K.S. was sentenced at the Mytilene court on the island of Lesbos Friday.

"They want to show people to stay away from Greece and to criminalize people who are fleeing," Johannes Körner, spokesperson for "You Can’t Evict Solidarity," a campaign supporting asylum seekers in Greece, told The Independent.

As a result, he said, K.S. "will be sitting in prison for nothing ... for just fleeing Turkey and fleeing Syria."

In March, Turkey decided not to prevent migrants from crossing the Greek border, which led to thousands arriving to cross into the European Union via Greece. Greek security forces were deployed to prevent people from entering at the time. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) was also stationed at the Turkish-Greek border.

Greece responded harshly to the undocumented migrants trying to enter the country after Ankara decided to open its borders, killing at least three, battering and tear-gassing many others, as verified by human rights groups.

Turkey and Greece have been key transit points for asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution. Ankara already hosts nearly 4 million Syrian migrants, more than any other country in the world, and says it cannot handle another wave.