At sea, every day is ‘World Refugee Day’

It is not a crime to flee war, violence or poverty. To lend weight to this statement, Sea-Watch organised an open exchange of ideas in Berlin on World Refugee Day, 20th June 2017. Various guests brought their perspectives on the criminalisation of refugees and migrants to the podium. Contributions from leading experts in fields of…

Control over the Trolls

Our Facebook Moderator engages daily in the struggle for truth – and against hate ‘Watch out – all that hate does funny things to you.’ This phrase, which Leonie has heard a lot recently, keeps popping into her head. “What does it do to you? A lot of things I’m confronted with just make…

No need for a new ‘Code of Conduct’!

The interior ministers of Italy, Germany and France, as well as the EU Commissioner for Refugees Dimitris Avramopoulous, demanded on Monday a code of conduct for migrant rescue NGOs. They ignore the fact that such a code already exists: the international law of the sea. Furthermore, a broader code of conduct has already been agreed…

ICC examines migrant-related crimes in Libya

The International Criminal Court in The Hague is examining evidence to decide whether an investigation can be started into crimes against migrants in Libya, which could potentially include the so-called Libyan Coastguard. This would reflect the numerous attacks on civil rescue organisations as well as refugees and migrants highlighted by Sea-Watch. In several cases, the…

#World Refugee Day

The humanitarian crisis at Europe’s borders demands a humanitarian answer. Share the demands of our network for a humane migration policy with your family, friends, local politicians on World Refugee Day!   PREFACE All the demands we outline here – as NGOs involved in alleviating suffering and rescuing persons in distress in the Mediterranean –…