At least 142 people were prosecuted across Europe in 2024 for helping or rescuing migrants, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM).

The report highlights a growing trend in the "criminalisation of solidarity," with over 80 individuals facing legal action for saving or assisting migrants at sea, and around 20 prosecuted for providing basic humanitarian aid, such as water, food, or clothing.

"This is the fourth consecutive year that prosecutions have increased," said Silvia Carta of PICUM. She warned that the data likely underrepresents the full extent of the crackdown. "What we're able to monitor is just the tip of the iceberg," Carta added.

The report, based on media and other sources, focuses on incidents in Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Malta, and Poland.

Among the cases highlighted is the prosecution of seven Basque activists accused of using a sporting event to smuggle 36 migrants across the Spanish-French border in March 2024. Their trial is set to begin in early October.

The report also draws attention to five individuals in Poland facing prison sentences for providing humanitarian aid to migrants at the Belarusian border.

PICUM's findings underscore growing concerns among rights groups about the shrinking space for humanitarian work amid increasingly harsh migration policies across Europe.