Complaint submitted to the European Commission

On November 11, 2009, PRO ASYL, along with fellow refugee organizations Dutch Council for Refugees, Finnish Refugee Advice Center, and British Refugee and Migrant Justice, filed a complaint with the European Commission against Greece. Twenty other European refugee organizations support the complaint.

PRO ASYL demands that the European Commission immediately initiates an infringement procedure in the European Court of Justice based on Greece's fail

On the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, PRO ASYL is presenting a petition to the European Parliament which is addressing the dying of thousands at our outer borders.

More than 1500 documented cases of deaths at the doors of Europe over the last 12 months illustrate a serious human rights record.

Nearly 30.000 citizens, predominantly from Germany, and human rights organisation from 17 European countries are supporting the petition and are appealing to the Europea

"The situation in Greece is out of control"

Research into the situation of asylum seekers in Greece

Carried out by Karl Kopp, PRO ASYL's Director of European Affairs, from October 20th to 28th 2008

The research focused on the situation of asylum seekers and individuals returned to the Greek capital on the basis of the Dublin II Regulation. Kopp spoke personally to many  refugees as well as representatives of civil society, the UNHCR and the Ministry for Health between

Appeal: Year by year thousands die at Europe`s borders: Stop the deathtrap at the EU borders!

In search of a dignified life thousands of refugees and migrants die at the borders of Europe. These are people who are driven from their homelands by war, persecution, violence and miserable living conditions. In order to escape they squeeze into tiny boats, hide in lorries, sleep in very basic campsites or in front of high security border controls. Drowning, suffocation or dying of thirst are frequen

On February 21, 2008 PRO ASYL has filed a petition with the Petition Committee of the German Federal Parliament, requesting to stop all deportations of asylum-seekers to Greece based on the EU Council Regulation known as Dublin II.

There are grave reasons to suspend all deportations:

Currently, the Greek asylum system does not guarantee effective access to the asylum procedure or a hearing for the applicant when lodging an asylum application. Due to their sheer number, many asylum applications

The EU's Common Asylum Policy

One gets the impression that the aim of the EU's common asylum policy is not to protect refugees, but to protect Europe from refugees.

Rather than relieving the burden on the poor regions where the refugees come from, the member states are in the process of shifting responsibility to them. Humanity and the right to asylum are left by the wayside.

Day after day, people risk their lives in the attempt to get across the Mediterranean or the Atlantic to Europe. Thous

Refoulement at sea, systematic maltreatment and inhumane detention conditions - Representatives of PRO ASYL and the Greek Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants examined on two fact-finding missions in July/August and in October 2007 the situation of refugees at the EU external border in the Aegean. The findings reveal serious human rights violations.

On Monday 29 October 2007 PRO ASYL and the Greek Group of Lawyers for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants issued

The German Bundestag voted on June 14th, 2007 on amendments to the Immigration Act. The Act came into force on August 28, 2007. PRO ASYL criticized the package of legislation as an "unconstitutional and isolationist attempt to seal itself off from immigrants and refugees." Among the most obvious flaws in the bill are:

Refugee-friendly EU directives are implemented in such a distorted way that they lose all meaning. Contrary to the EU mandate, refugees fleeing from internal armed conflicts (e.g.

Europe continues to shirk its responsibility

Every day more than 100 civilians lose their life in Iraq. According to the UN, one out of eight Iraqi is on the run by now. While the situation of Iraqi refugees in the region is becoming increasingly critical, almost all European countries continue to shirk their responsibility to protect these people. Germany does not help actively either. On the contrary, everything possible is done to prevent Iraqi refugees from entering the country, to withdraw