Taner Kılıç and Pırıl Erçoban receive PRO ASYL Human Rights Award

Taner Kılıç and Pırıl Erçoban have been named recipients of the 2026 PRO ASYL Human Rights Award, alongside former UNHCR Greece head Giorgos Tsarbopoulos. The awards will be presented in Frankfurt on September 12, 2026.

During a conference marking the 40th anniversary of PRO ASYL, the awardees criticized current migration and asylum policies in Turkey and Europe. Pırıl Erçoban argued that human rights violations are becoming normalized as governments prioritize border security over human dignity. She specifically noted that the European Union’s new migration regulations, including extended administrative detention and the detention of children, are institutionalizing rights violations.

Taner Kılıç highlighted the increasing criminalization of both refugees and those who support them. Giorgos Tsarbopoulos addressed the severe reception conditions faced by asylum seekers in Greece. The discussions also covered deaths in the Aegean Sea and the impact of rising far-right rhetoric on refugee rights in Europe.