A migrants' rights group warned Tuesday that at least 142 people across Europe faced prosecution in 2024 for assisting or rescuing migrants.
According to the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), more than 80 people have faced prosecution for saving or aiding migrants at sea and around 20 for providing them with water, food or clothing.
"This is the fourth year in a row" the number of people prosecuted has risen, Silvia Carta of PICUM said, criticizing the "criminalization of solidarity with migrants."
The report focuses on incidents in Bulgaria, Greek Cypriot, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta and Poland and was compiled using various sources, including European media.
"What we're able to monitor is just the tip of the iceberg," Carta said.
The organization refers to one incident during which seven Basque activists were accused of taking advantage of a race to smuggle 36 migrants across the border between Spain and France in March 2024. Their trial is due to start in early October.
The report also mentions five people who face imprisonment in Poland for "providing humanitarian aid" to migrants on the border with Belarus.
