Sea-Watch 5 rescued 47 people, who were traveling in an overcrowded and unstable dinghy. “They are now all safe on board our ship, which is heading towards Catania, the port assigned to us by the Italian authorities”, says the NGO.
This rescue follows the controversy of the warning that Sea-Watch issued against the Italian coast guard – which depends on Salvini’s Ministry of Transport – from subordinating the actions of NGO ships to the indications given by the Libyan “coast guard”.
“For years – we read in the Sea Watch warning – the Italian authorities have been trying to force us and other NGO ships to take orders from the so-called Libyan coast guard. With the threat of sanctions, the Italian authorities ask our captains every day to violate the international law and commit more serious crimes, collaborating with the so-called Libyan coast guard in the illegal rejections of those attempting to cross the Mediterranean. Handing over rescued people to the authorities of a country where fundamental rights are violated constitutes a crime and constitutes a violation of the principle of non-refoulement, as reiterated by the sentences of the European Court of Human Rights and by the Court of Cassation. The requests of the Italian authorities to subordinate our operations to the orders of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard represent a clear incitement to violate the principles already recognized by Italian jurisprudence, endangering the lives of those who need help”.
The action originates from a rescue that took place on March 7, when a boy lost his life on the deck of the Sea-Watch 5. He had been brought on board in very serious conditions, but the authorities did not evacuate him urgently.
