Berlin, 19 June 2026. For tomorrow’s World Refugee Day, SOS Humanity alerts of an increasing crisis of the rule of law in EU migration policies. In a joint statement of 275 German organisations, the search and rescue organisation is calling to keep up humanity, dignity and human rights for migrants and refugees in times of sealing off Europe from those seeking protection.

In their “Memorandum for Strong Refugee Protection”, the organisations, among which the initiators Diakonie, Pro Asyl, Paritätischer Wohlfahrtsverband, Arbeiterwohlfahrt, Amnesty International und Handicap International, join to uphold the universal drive of all humans for a life in safety and dignity.

SOS Humanity also expresses its concerns about the Chişinău Declaration on Migration and Human Rights. Issued by all 46 member states of the Council of Europe on 15 May 2026, it further risks undermining the protection of refugees in Europe by weighing fundamental rights granted by the European Convention on Human Rights against security interests.

“The Chişinău Declaration as well as the recent reform of the Common European Asylum System (GEAS) are accelerating what we experience as an erosion of the rule of law in the area of migration,” says Marie Michel, political expert at SOS Humanity. “The crew onboard our rescue ship Humanity 1 has been witnessing violations of international law committed by EU-supported Libyan militias on the Mediterranean for many years – a direct consequence of externalisation of EU border management. The so-called Libyan Coast Guard illegally intercepts people fleeing and forces them back to Libya, the country they fled from – an act explicitly prohibited by the Geneva Refugee Convention. With the new EU Migration Pact protection seekers’ hope for a life in safety after going through hell in Libya, will now be bitterly dashed. Having reached Europe after risking their lives at sea, people on the move will have very limited access to their asylum requests being individually and properly assessed. Also, they will often find themselves in detention again, including families with small children. Ahead of the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention, we have to declare that individual right to asylum is under attack in Europe.”

To prove the human rights violations committed at sea and in Libya, SOS Humanity documents the testimonials of survivors on board the rescue ship Humanity 1. One example is Raheem* from Sudan: “In Libya I was subjected to violence, to beatings, and to every form of injustice and oppression in detention. I boarded another boat and headed out to the sea for a third time. I had decided that I needed to reach Europe – the place where human rights are known and where all components of society are respected regardless of differences in colour, religion, or ethnicity.”

Since 2016, the European Union has been supporting the so-called Libyan Coast Guard – which is riddled with brutal militias – in order to keep refugees away from European shores. Yet the escalating violence against people fleeing across the Mediterranean, and the profoundly inhumane treatment of hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers stranded in Libya, are largely ignored in the public debate in Europe, despite the EU’s shared responsibility.

*name changed for protection purposes