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Forbes
29-04-2025
- Forbes
Migration: More People Prosecuted For Helping Migrants In 2024
Disembarking operations from the ship Geo Barents on December 11, 2022 in Salerno, Italy. (Photo by ... More) Figures from a new report show that more people were prosecuted around Europe in 2024 for rendering assistance to irregular migrants than in previous years. Such 'criminalization' is becoming more common, as the EU's leadership and individual member states try to crack down on irregular migration. In the final episode of Seinfeld, the gang are hauled in front of a small town judge for failing to help someone that was visibly in distress, violating as they did the town's 'Good Samaritan' law. In a case of life not so much imitating art as inverting it, ever more people are being prosecuted for exactly the opposite: helping someone in need. It's a relatively novel crime known as migrant 'facilitation.' The specific charges that relate to helping irregular migrants differ between individual member states, though many states' laws derive from the EU's 2002 'Facilitation Directive.' Activities that could be considered 'facilitation' under individual member state and EU law include rescuing or aiding people in distress at sea, driving them across a border or providing them with food, clothing or shelter. Increasingly, humanitarian aid is also being targeted, with five people currently facing charges of facilitation in Poland for distributing aid. Sometimes 'facilitation' can mean the very act of crossing a border oneself. That is to say, asylum seekers and other irregular migrants are themselves prosecuted for taking part in their own journey, whether that be some kind of active participation (say being compelled to steer a boat or distribute food and water to companions), or merely 'facilitating' one's own crossing of a border – which is to say crossing it. Such prosecutions are becoming increasingly common around Europe and the United Kingdom, as political pressure mounts on governments to reduce the amount of people arriving in Europe, outside of normal channels, in order to seek shelter. These policymakers are often unable to pull more direct policy levers, such as just closing borders or summarily deporting people, given EU and international legal law (though these levers are often pulled informally). Instead, wealthy nations are turning to a raft of other measures intended to deter people from attempting to reach Europe, as well as disrupting the operations of those people trying to help them. 'Across Europe, member states have targeted individuals and NGOs providing non-profit humanitarian assistance - such as food, shelter, medical care, or legal advice - with criminal investigations and prosecutions,' reads a recent policy statement from Amnesty International. The latest report from Brussels-based charity the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), looking into the prevalence of such 'criminalizations' around Europe, shows they are indeed increasing. In 2024, at least 142 people faced judicial proceedings for helping or rescuing irregular migrants in some form. This number – very likely to be an undercount- is up from the 117 people recorded as criminalized in 2023, and the 89 people between January 2021 and March 2022. 'This is the fourth year in a row that we document increasing levels of criminalization of both migrants and people who help them,' said PICUM advocacy officer Silvia Cara. 'And what we're able to monitor is just the tip of the iceberg.' An Italian police officer stands by the Iuventa rescue ship run on August 4, 2017. Italian ... More authorities impounded the Iueventa on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration, police said. The crew were acquitted in 2024. (Photo credit BELLINA FRANCESCO/AFP via Getty Images) The lion's share of criminalizations were for helping people in distress at sea. This is unsurprising given the focus in recent years on the search-and-rescue NGOs working in the Mediterranean. In recent years – and in particular since the period of high irregular migration across various parts of the Mediterranean beginning in 2015 – a loose group of charity rescue organizations has emerged, known informally as the 'civil fleet,' to fill the gap left when EU state rescue patrols ended. In the years since, the various rescue boats of the civil fleet – operating within international maritime law – have brought tens of thousands of asylum seekers to European shores, much to the chagrin of leaders such as Italy's Giorgia Meloni, who was elected on a largely anti-migration platform. Italy and Greece tend to receive the majority of irregular arrivals and both governments have pursued various tactics to disrupt the operation of NGOs and other groups working to support people seeking shelter, as well as prosecuting individual migrants. In Greece, migrants prosecuted under 'facilitation' laws in fact make up the second largest prison population in the entire country, with thousands locked up or awaiting trial. The United Kingdom – though not included in this PICUM report – is another clear example of the criminalization strategy. In recent years hundreds of people – including dozens of minors – have been prosecuted under new or augmented laws for 'facilitating' their own or others' journeys. People prosecuted under such laws face heavy sentences and are all but guaranteed deportation if convicted. The PICUM report also highlights some emergent avenues for criminalization. For instance, 17 people were charged in 2024 for taking part in protests or demonstrations in support of irregular migrants, without apparently having any direct contact with them. NGOs working on irregular migration have long feared being accused of 'facilitation' for providing information on, for instance, the European asylum system. These 17 prosecutions add weight to the idea that merely supporting someone's right to seek asylum could be considered a crime. The PICUM report shows the impact the trend towards criminalization is having on European civil society and individual migrants, accompanied as it is by other measures such as non-administrative sanctions and disruption targeting solidarity organizations. NGOs and civil society groups have long decried such practices, not least as they often constrain groups trying to rescue people in distress, plausibly leading to a higher death toll along some of Europe's most dangerous migration routes. 'The criminalization of solidarity with migrants is deeply tied with the criminalization of migration itself,' said PICUM's Silvia Carta. 'These are (…) migration policies that make border crossing unsafe and create a hostile environment against those who are considered to have entered in an irregular manner.' Despite civil society resistance, the EU plans to increase the use of criminalization as a tool for reducing migration. The EU's 'Facilitation Directive,' mentioned previously, will soon be getting an update. The new directive, proposed by the European Commission in 2023, will likely provide a framework for individual member states to further prosecute people who directly assist, or simply interact in some way with, irregular migrants. As well as humanitarian workers, and migrants themselves, anyone who engages in a financial transaction with people on their journey (think taxi drivers, shopkeepers, hotel owners) could be targeted. Amid this legislative push for an updated facilitation directive, and absent any easing of concerns over irregular migration in Europe, it appears likely that next year's report will show even more people prosecuted for this novel offense.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Janus Metz on ‘Rescue' and Saving Migrants in the Mediterranean With Partner Sine Plambech and Doctors Without Borders (EXCLUSIVE)
Danish filmmaker Janus Metz ('Borg vs McEnroe,' 'Armadillo'), most recently attached to Season 2 of 'Star Wars' series 'Andor,' has his mind and heart fully-immersed these days not in a galaxy far, far away, but in real-life stories of human beings, risking their lives in the Mediterranean, in hope of a better life in Europe. With his observational doc 'Rescue,' selected for CPH:DOX's co-production and co-financing showcase CPH:Forum in Copenhagen, the director has teamed up with his life partner Sine Plambech, a renowned anthropologist, filmmaker and migrant researcher. After a series of landmark documentaries on marriage and sex work between Thailand and Denmark including the Zurich Golden Eye winner 'Heartbound' (2018), the duo is currently documenting the human tragedy and political game playing out in the Mediterranean, from the viewpoint of the search and rescue vessel Geo Barents, operated by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans Frontières). More from Variety Chicago's Doc10 Lineup Includes Sundance Hits 'The Perfect Neighbor' and 'Predators' (EXCLUSIVE) Sundance Documentary 'Predators,' an Exposé of 'To Catch a Predator,' Sells to MTV Documentary Films 'Tesla Files' Documentary Aims to Expose Inner-Workings of Tesla and Question Elon Musk's Political Ambition (EXCLUSIVE) Thanks to unprecedented access to the MSF vessel for a full year, the filmmakers have been following at close range a group of rescuers – mostly women – as they save migrants and refugees, while navigating the opposition from armed militias, coast guards and the EU agenda of financing North African countries to stop migration at the source. The story is told from the points of view of MSF head of rescuers Claire, one of the rescuers Nesma, and Yemen-born refugee Hani. Metz and Plambech are following Hani's fate, as he gets separated from his wife and children – kidnapped in front of him by a Libyan militia – and tries to reunite with them. Speaking exclusively to Variety ahead of their pitch at CPH:Forum on March 26, Metz, Plambech and producer Andreas Møl Dalsgaard of Elk Film ('The Lost Leonardo,' 'As the Tide Comes In') spoke about the extraordinary humanitarian work of MSF rescuers, today's EU migration policy that tends to fuel criminal activities around the Mediterranean and abuse of human rights, but also of the emotional toll of saving distressed human beings out at sea. 'As a migration researcher, I have followed many heartfelt stories over the years, but the situation around the Mediterranean is unique in its urgency,' says Plambech, who has been on two rescue missions aboard the Geo Barents since April 2024. 'Witnessing people being rescued, the intimate human connection with them, is something I have never experienced before and I will never forget that feeling.' 'I cried a lot,' admits Metz, who himself has attended one rescue mission. 'When you're on the boat, you meet those people face to face. It's like…I'm me, you're you and I'm saving your life. That's all I can do. I don't know what your destiny will be, if you will be sent back or not, but there's an immense feeling of gratitude and respect at that very moment. It's hugely emotional. Then next to you are rescuers who also do their best to hold their emotions, but act like firemen or paramedics. They have to cope.' Dalsgaard's company gave the crew access to debriefing sessions and psychological support to help them navigate those difficult emotions. 'Witnessing first-hand those tragic situations of migrants at sea is traumatizing. You can't walk away untouched,' Dalsgaard says. Describing the MSF rescue operations aboard the Geo Barents, Plambech says the vessel, which can fit up to 600 people, has a team of around 24 rescuers and doctors, on top of crew members. 'They have been at sea for eight years and rescued around 12,000 people, witnessing all kinds of tragedies, but also magic moments, like babies being born.' However, the MSF's humanitarian mission at sea is almost untenable due to today's political context, say the filmmakers, who continue to document the situation as it evolves. 'It's been a very dramatic year, as the political situation in Europe, especially in Italy, has obstructed their work,' explains Dalsgaard, referring to the implementation by Giorgia Meloni's government of the Piantedosi Decree in 2023, which has forced the Geo Barents to do one rescue mission at a time, forcing it to navigate to and back from distant ports instead of assisting people in distress. 'The vessel has experienced various detention orders and fines for rescuing more than one boat at a time. It's been very very difficult. At the same time, with EU migration funding to Libya or Tunisia, we've seen criminality developing, with militias taking migrants hostage to make money. Some of them are forced to do the journeys across the Mediterranean multiple times and are being held hostage multiple times. All this complex dynamic plays out in the film,' says Dalsgaard. Summarizing the filmmakers' vision, the producer says: 'The goal of our film is to showcase and reveal from a human perspective how this criminal system plays out and its effects on people, the rescuers who are the witnesses, and the migrants, obviously the victims.' 'We're documenting the consequences of the EU migration politics,' adds Metz. 'We don't come up with a million-dollar answer to a million-dollar question, but we say: we must do better than this. It is corrupting our souls, as we're literally creating a killing zone for migrants from North African territories in the Mediterranean.' Quizzed about their next steps with their shooting schedule, Plambech and Metz say they will most probably do one more rescue mission in the spring, expand the portrait of Hani and his family, and further document the migration issue from a Libyan perspective, with support from local journalists, to have a full overview of 'the increasing constraints on humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean.' Dalsgaard says he expects the film to move into production following the CPH:Forum pitch. The film is being produced by Dalsgaard with Sofie Husum Johannesen, in co-production with Italy's Fluid Produzioni, with backing from the Danish Film Institute's development support, the Danish Art Foundation, Politiken Foundation and Creative Media. Broadcasters on board so far include DR, VPRO, SVT and NRK. 'We have space for one more co-producer and are negotiating with sales agents,' Dalsgaard says. 'Rescue' is among 30 international documentaries in late development or production selected for Copenhagen's CPH:Forum running March 24 to 27. Best of Variety The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More
