PRESS RELEASE

The Only Eyes on the Aegean Are About to Go Dark

Aegean Boat Report launches urgent fundraising campaign to keep its life-saving human rights work alive

Tromsø, Norway — 17.11.2025 — After eight years of documenting human-rights violations and saving lives at sea, Aegean Boat Report (ABR), Europe’s only independent watchdog monitoring refugee movements across the Aegean Sea, has launched an emergency fundraising campaign to secure its future.

Founded in 2017 by Tommy Olsen, a volunteer from northern Norway who first arrived in Lesvos during the height of the refugee crisis, Aegean Boat Report was created to bring transparency and accountability to one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes.

Every day, ABR monitors the Aegean Sea in real time, answering distress calls from people in danger, documenting illegal pushbacks, and providing verified data to journalists, lawyers, UN agencies, and humanitarian organisations. Its reports have been cited by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and major international media outlets.

But now, this vital work is at risk. Without sustainable funding, the organisation will be forced to scale down or close by 2026, leaving no one to monitor Europe’s most militarised maritime border.

“If we disappear, the truth disappears beneath the waves and so do the people,”
says Tommy Olsen, founder of Aegean Boat Report.
“Our hotline has saved lives, our data has exposed abuse, and our independence has made us a trusted source, but we are running out of resources. We need support to keep watch.”

Aegean Boat Report operates independently and receives no government funding. To maintain its current level of operation for one year, the organisation requires €100,000, with an additional €20,000–30,000 needed to expand its 24/7 hotline and another €20,000–30,000 to strengthen research, data verification, and social media outreach.

Supporters can donate through WhyDonate at the campaign page:
🔗 https://whydonate.com/fundraising/the-only-eyes-on-the-aegean-sea-and-theyre-about-to-go-dark

This is not charity, it is human rights work. Every contribution helps Aegean Boat Report stay operational, continue documenting violations, and ensure that every person who crosses the Aegean Sea is seen, counted, and remembered.

About Aegean Boat Report

Founded in 2017 and based in Tromsø, Norway, Aegean Boat Report (ABR) is an independent, non-profit organisation that monitors migration across the Aegean Sea. ABR provides verified information on refugee movements, pushbacks, and human-rights violations, serving as a trusted source for journalists, lawyers, and humanitarian agencies worldwide.