Open letter: More than 250 organisations call on Angela Merkel to act

In the face of the dying in the Mediterranean and the catastrophic situation in Libya, more than 250 civil society organisations turn to the Chancellor in an open letter. PRO ASYL, Ärzte ohne Grenzen (MSF), Amnesty International, Sea-Watch, Seebrücke, Diakonie, Caritas, Der Paritätische, Brot für die Welt, the Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund, borderline-europe and the many other signatory organisations criticise: "We are shocked by the current European policy, which is increasingly based on isolation and deterrence - and in doing so is accepting thousands of deaths. The duty to rescue at sea is international law and the right to life is not negotiable."