Ten years in operation

For ten years, we have been working to prevent people on the move from drowning. In May and June 2025, we reflected on the ten years we have been conducting rescue operations in the Mediterranean, first at our own press conference and then at a joint press conference with other organisations. During this period, we have observed how the situation has continued to escalate. Those rescued report horrific human rights violations during their journey and at sea. Because search and rescue capacities are lacking and civil ships are kept out of the area of operation, there is no one present to prevent or document these violations of the law. This is an important reason why we decided to deploy a second rescue ship.

Many casualties in October

In October, the crew of our rescue ship Humanity 1 saved 41 people from an unseaworthy rubber boat during their 22nd mission. Seven more people had to be reported missing. Despite resuscitation efforts, one person died on board, while another collapsed and did not survive the night. Extreme conditions for our crew – and a sad reality for many refugees. October 2025 was a sad month overall: although Humanity 1 was able to rescue another 45 people from a rubber boat in distress, at least 40 people died when their boat sank off the coast of Tunisia. This shipwreck was one of the worst of the year.

Justice Fleet Alliance

SOS Humanity is joining the Justice Fleet. The aim of the alliance is to work together to defend human rights, international law and humanitarian work on the high seas – because all of these are being challenged and attacked in Libya, Italy and the EU. To this end, the Justice Fleet combines legal, political and public strategies to protect people on the move from illegal pushbacks and search and rescue operations from state repression. With 13 supporting organisations, 14 ships, one aircraft and over 10,000 activists, the Justice Fleet is the largest alliance of non-governmental search and rescue organisations ever formed.

Escalating political restrictions

Politically, the restrictions on asylum and migration and isolation policies continued to tighten in 2025. EU interior ministers agreed that, in future, asylum procedures should be carried out at the EU’s external borders in so-called “return hubs”. At the same time, the safe third country concept was extended: Member States may reject asylum applications if protection is theoretically possible in a ‘safe’ third country. A joint list of safe countries of origin was drawn up, which includes Tunisia – an extremely unstable and unsafe country for people fleeing persecution.

In the middle of the year, the CDU-led Foreign Office also cut funding for civil search and rescue organisations.

Reading ‘Tatort Mittelmeer’

Once again this year, the reading ‘Tatort Mittelmeer’ brought voices from the Mediterranean to the stage. Well-known actors from German TV crime series read authentic reports and personal accounts from people rescued at sea and crew members of Humanity 1. For one evening, they highlighted the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the human rights violations committed in the name of Europe. This time, the anniversary event took place at the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. The staged reading was accompanied musically by Aeham Ahmad, the Palestinian-Syrian pianist and winner of the International Beethoven Prize for Human Rights. We were delighted about the great response, the many tickets sold and the generous donations.