No leniency for smugglers

At first glance there may be nothing striking about a recent news item about a convict who failed to return to prison where he was serving time for human trafficking - most likely migrant smuggling - after a furlough. But when you think about it a bit more, it is actually quite a big deal.

Greece is in the grip of a major refugee/migration crisis and one of the first and most basic measures that it should have taken when that crisis became apparent was to pass stricter laws to clamp down on migrant smuggling. We need legislation so that anyone convicted of the crime spends a long time in prison and doesn't get to enjoy special liberties. We also need this legislation to be widely advertised and broadcast so that the message goes out around the world that migrant smuggling is not tolerated in Greece.

That said, it is not at all certain that passing - and strictly...