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 frequent occurrences. Many die of exhaustion.

Germany and other EU states react towards those seeking protection at its borders with armed resistance and deterrence. Humiliation and abuse, even extending to illegal rejection at the borders, have frequently been reported. The EU founded border security agency, FRONTEX, operates in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic with disregard for refugee and human rights. Refugee boats are pursued and driven away. Protection seekers are therefore forced to take more dangerous escape routes. This increases the risk of death en route. The Mediterranean and parts of the Atlantic are developing into zones exempt from human rights.

The activities of FRONTEX are made possible by the active and financial involvement of the EU Member states. In 2008 alone 70 million euro of tax money in Europe will be used for this purpose.

The European citizens must not turn a blind eye to the activities of FRONTEX which disregard human rights and to the illegal rejection of refugees. Please join us in signing this appeal, to be publicised by PRO ASYL and other human rights organisations throughout Europe.

We demand:

• Stop the deathtrap at the EU borders! FRONTEX activities which violate human rights must cease!
• Human life must be saved. If someone is in danger of drowning before our eyes, we must help.
• Refugees must be protected. Access to fair asylum procedures in Europe must be guaranteed. The Geneva Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights must be upheld.

Appeal "Stop the deathtrap": Download

Organisations:
Europe
asylkoordination österreich (Austria); Diakonie Flüchtlingsdienst (Austria); Organization for Aid to Refugees OPU (Czech Republic); Cimade (France); Scottish Refugee Council (Great Britain); Comitee of Solidarity to Refugees Chios-Lathra (Greece); France terre d’asile (France);Italienischer Flüchtlingsrat CIR (Italy); KISA - Action for Equality, Support, Anti-racism (Cyprus); Vluchtelingenwerk (Netherlands); Romanian National Council for Refugees (Romania); Dpto. Acción Social-RESCATE (Spain); Comisión Española de Ayuda al Refugiado CEAR (Spain); Refugee reception center and the Department of supervision of social services (Lithuania); Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe (Switzerland); SOLIDARITÉ TCHÉTCHÉNIE 63 (France)

Germany
Bundesverband der Arbeiterwohlfahrt, borderline-europe, Deutscher Frauenrat, Diakonisches Werk der EKD, Thomas Gebauer (Geschäftsführer, medico international), Gustav-Heinemann-Initiative, Humanistische Union, Interkultureller Rat in Deutschland, Deutsche Sektion der Internationalen Ärzte zur Verhütung des Atomkrieges – Ärzte in sozialer Verantwortung, Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte, Jesuiten Flüchtlingsdienst Deutschland, Kindernothilfe, medica mondiale Ökumenische Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Asyl in der Kirche, pax christi (deutsche Sektion), Republikanischer Anwältinnen- und Anwälteverein, Vereinte Evangelische Mission, Dr. Beate Wagner (Generalsekretärin, Deutsche Gesellschaft für die Vereinten Nationen), Verband binationaler Familien und Partnerschaften (iaf), Zentrum für Antisemitismusforschung, EIRENE Internationaler Christlicher Friedensdienst; Flüchtlingsrat Baden-Württemberg, Flüchtlingsrat Bayern, Flüchtlingsrat Berlin, Flüchtlingsrat Brandenburg, Flüchtlingsrat Brandenburg, Ökumenische Ausländerarbeit Bremen, Flüchtlingsrat Hamburg, Flüchtlingsrat Hessen, Flüchtlingsrat Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Flüchtlingsrat Niedersachsen, Flüchtlingsrat Nordrhein-Westfalen, Flüchtlingsrat Asyl Rheinland-Pfalz, Flüchtlingsrat Saarland, Flüchtlingsrat Sachsen, Flüchtlingsrat Sachsen-Anhalt, Flüchtlingsrat Schleswig-Holstein, Flüchtlingsrat Thüringen.

Individuals:
Lale Akgün (MoP), Volker Beck (MoP), Angelika Beer (MoEP), Stefan Berglund, Präses Alfred Buß, Dr. Winfrid Eisenberg, Ulrike Folkerts, Hans-Olaf Henkel, Navid Kermani, Michael Leutert (MoP), Prof. Dr. Dieter Oberndörfer, Petra Pau (MoP, Vice-president of German Bundestag), Claudia Roth (MoP), Präses Nikolaus Schneider, Dr. Christian Schwarz-Schilling, Dr. Max Stadler (MoP), Die Toten Hosen, Dr. Hans-Jochen Vogel.