In Poignant Homage to Lives Lost, Guardian Prints Names of All 34,361 Refugees Known to Have Died Fleeing War and Persecution Since 1990s

Marking World Refugee Day with an effort to commemorate the tens of thousands of migrants who have lost their lives attempting to flee violence, war, and persecution in their home countries, the Guardian on Wednesday printed a list of all 34,361 refugees known to have died attempting to reach Europe over the past two decades.

Compiled by the Dutch organization United for Intercultural Action, the list of names is far from comprehensive, and the actual death toll “is certain to be much higher,” the Guardian noted.

Acknowledging that researchers cannot know the precise number of people who have died while attempting to escape to safety in Europe, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam professor Thomas Spijkerboer said the list of names printed by the Guardian clearly shows that the refugee crisis “has been ongoing for 25 years and the people who pretend to be shocked now should have been shocked a long time ago.”

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT