🔶 PRO ASYL Turns 40 — Is the Right to Asylum in Danger?

🔻A report by Sara Majidi

The right to asylum is not merely a legal provision or an administrative decision within the framework of international policies; it is one of the most fundamental cornerstones of human dignity and the rule of law.

In a world increasingly confronted by escalating crises, wars, repression, and various forms of persecution, defending people who are forced to leave their country is the real measure of democratic societies’ commitment to ethical values and human rights.

However, over the past decades, we have witnessed a gradual and worrying shift in immigration policies—from a “support-based” system to a model “based on control, deterrence, and restriction,” which has seriously challenged people’s fundamental right to access lasting security.

The organization PRO ASYL, founded in 1986 by a group of human rights activists, representatives of churches, and lawyers in Frankfurt, has over four decades become one of Germany’s and Europe’s main and most independent voices in defense of refugees’ rights.

This non-profit institution, independent of party and government affiliations, has played a key role in confronting tough immigration laws by using an extensive network of legal experts, providing specialized consultation to displaced people, setting up court support funds, and precisely documenting violations of human rights.

Reaching the station of the organization’s 40th anniversary is not only a symbol of four decades of civil steadfastness and saving the lives of thousands of people against multiple waves of anti-immigration sentiment, but it also shows the vital importance of having a vigilant watchdog in democratic societies to safeguard the rule of law and prevent the erosion of the fundamental right to asylum.

In this regard, and coinciding with the organization’s 40th anniversary, we spoke with Bahroz Asadi, a human rights activist, one of the members of this organization, and a field expert in the areas of migration and refugees.

📌 Read the full text of the report on the DW Farsi website.