Migrants in makeshift boats. (Credit: AFP.)
At least 142 people were prosecuted in 2024 for helping or rescuing migrants in Europe, warned an NGO for the protection of undocumented individuals in a report on Tuesday.
According to a count by Picum, more than 80 people were prosecuted for rescuing or assisting migrants at sea, and around 20 for providing them with water, food, or clothing. “This is the fourth consecutive year” that this number has increased, warns Silvia Carta, one of its officials, denouncing the “criminalization of solidarity with migrants.”
The report focuses on situations in Greece, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Malta, Latvia, and France. It was established based notably on a monitoring of European media. The NGO specifically mentions the case of seven Basque activists accused of having taken advantage of the passage of a race to help 36 migrants cross the border between Spain and France in March 2024. They are expected to be tried in early October. It also mentions a case in Poland, where five people face prison for having “provided humanitarian aid” at the border with Belarus.
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