There is a judge in Ragusa. And this time there are problems for the Mar Jonio ship and Luca Casarini. In addition to confirming the administrative detention of the vessel used by the NGO “Mediterranea Saving Humans” to collect migrants and repeatedly challenge the Libyan Coast Guard, the civil judge of the Ragusa Court Claudio Mangioni noted the inadequacy of the vessel which appears not approved for sea rescues. The ship, therefore, will have to remain blocked until the end of the 20 days of administrative detention sanctioned by a previous government provision in addition to paying a fine of 10 thousand euros. But let’s start from the beginning, that is, from April 4th. That day the Mar Jonio engaged in a real head-to-head battle with a Libyan coast guard patrol boat busy blocking a boat full of migrants sailing off the coast of our former colony. The fight to take that human cargo from the Libyans is furious. It is no coincidence that some migrants fall into the water and risk drowning while some machine gun shots are fired from the patrol boat. In the following hours, the Mar Jonio disembarked 56 migrants in Pozzallo. However, the government establishes administrative detention, justifying it with the violation of the rules of the Piantedosi decree which place specific limits on rescue activities. «Mediterranea Saving Human» is counting on the help of some magistrates willing – as has already happened previously – to cancel the measures. But this time justice takes its course. «The request for suspension of the effectiveness of the administrative detention measure must be rejected since – Judge Mangioni ruled – the periculum profiles deduced by the appellants in support of the precautionary request do not appear to exist». But the judge also noted the inadequacy of a Mare Jonio not authorized for the rescue service as it was approved exclusively for towing activities, removal of mineral oils and transport of loads. The migrant collection activities carried out by Mar Jonio would therefore be illegal. The sentence was commented favorably by the minister Matteo Piantedosi, ready to point out how «the ideological conflict on a topic of fundamental importance, such as immigration, can give rise to a mystification of the facts».
The head of the Interior Ministry also underlined how “any form of spontaneity or disorder” in the context of rescues at sea risks “impacting the priority need to safeguard the safety and lives of people”.
