When people on the move express their intent to claim asylum, it is a direct assertion of their internationally recognized right to seek protection from persecution or harm. However, in many cases of border violence, even when individuals clearly state their intention to claim asylum, they are met with hostility, indifference, or outright violence. Instead of being provided with access to legal processes or support, their rights are systematically ignored or violated, as authorities push forward with illegal expulsions, detentions, or violent rejections.
We monitor and tag cases where the intent to claim asylum is expressed because it highlights the deliberate violation of fundamental rights. Under international law—particularly the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol—people fleeing danger have the right to seek asylum and have their claim properly assessed.
By documenting cases where individuals express their intent to claim asylum and are still subjected to violence, we expose the systematic disregard for asylum procedures at borders. It shows that authorities are not merely indifferent but actively complicit in undermining the international legal framework designed to protect people on the move. This practice turns Europe’s rhetoric of a safe haven for rights into an empty promise, as people claiming asylum are consistently met with force on the borders.