Migrant rescue group files human rights complaint against Italy

Sea-Watch e.V. filed a complaint against Italy with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Monday because Italy refuses to allow the ship Sea-Watch 3 to dock at its ports.

The ship currently is holding 47 migrants that were rescued from a shipwreck off the Libyan coast earlier this month. The Mayor of Syracuse in Italy had stated the city was willing to take the migrants. However, the government has refused to allow Sea-Watch 3 to dock at the port. The ship has not received any justification for refusing to allow the shop to dock. The ship is currently sitting at anchor 1.4 miles away from the port.

The 47 migrants include 13 minors and 34 people who have been through “long periods of arbitrary detention in Libyan prisons in which they have suffered daily torture, abuse, physical and psychological violence.” Sea-Watch has asked that the people be allowed to disembark the ship immediately because their “physical and psychological state is at stake.”

Italy has argued that the Netherlands should take the migrants because the ship is flying under the flag of the Netherlands. However, the Netherlands has refused to take the migrants and stated that “[i]t was up to the captain of Sea Watch 3 to find a nearby port to disembark the 47 migrants he had on board.”

On Tuesday the ECHR granted an interim measure on the request. The measure does not allow for the immediate disembarkation of the migrants. Instead, it called upon the Italian government “to take all necessary measures, as soon as possible, to provide all the applicants with adequate medical care, food, water and basic supplies as necessary.” It also called on the government to provide legal assistance for the minors and to provide the court with updates on developments.

This is not the first time Italy has been accused of violating human rights over its handling of rescue ships. In October Panama removed the registration of the rescue ship Aquarius due to pressure from the Italian government. Several human rights group called on other European leaders to offer registration for the ship. An Italian prosecutor accused rescue ships of collaborating with Libyan human smugglers.

Source: Jurist