Was the transfer of Italian patrol boats to Tunisia has been suspended until further notice. This was decided by the Council of State. This was announced by the associations that had appealed to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court contesting the financing of 4.8 million euros for the restoration of efficiency and the transfer to Tunisia of 6 patrol boats. Appeal which was rejected by the administrative court. Palazzo Spada instead accepted the precautionary request of Asgi, Arci, ActionAid, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Spazi Circolari and Le Carbet, suspending the transfer. The decision on the merits will be made on 11 July, the date on which the hearing was called in chambers.
ANSA Agency The Italian patrol boats for Tunisia and now blocked were among the agreements of Meloni and Saied – News – Ansa.it Seven humanitarian associations have appealed to the TAR for violation of national legislation “which prohibits the financing and transfer of armaments to third countries responsible for serious violations of international conventions on human rights” (ANSA) “As also supported by the United Nations, providing patrol boats to the Tunisian authorities means increasing the risk that migrant people will be subjected to illegal deportations”, say Maria Teresa Brocchetto, Luce Bonzano and Cristina Laura Cecchini of the pool of lawyers following the case. “The new wave of arrests and deportations against migrant people is now accompanied by persecutions against civil society actors who support them – declares Filippo Miraglia di Arci – “however Italian and European policies seem to support and justify each other, impervious to alarms launched by the United Nations and international NGOs who unanimously condemn the actions of the Tunisian authorities”.
The Lazio Regional Administrative Court had deemed the contested agreement legitimate, considering it in line with the decisions taken at community level and ultimately the confirmation of Tunisia as a safe country of origin. And he believed that the Italian government had conducted a complete investigation into long-term cooperation with Tunisia. Now, the acceptance by the Council of State of the precautionary request reverses the situation: the highest administrative judge has in fact considered “the protection needs represented by the appellant party to be prevalent”, suspending the transfer of the patrol boats in light of the possible violations that this act may entail. “The mass deportations, arbitrary arrests and violence against migrant people demonstrate that Tunisia cannot be considered a safe place of disembarkation. As with Libya, the Tunisian authorities cannot therefore be considered an interlocutor in rescue activities ” comments Lorenzo Figoni of ActionAid Italia. “This is an extremely important decision, since the human rights of people on the move are at stake. The suspension of the transfer of patrol boats allows the judicial authority to evaluate the legitimacy of the act before it can produce harmful effects. In light of the documentation deposited, we consider Tunisia an unsafe port” concludes Laura Marmorale, president of Mediterranea Saving Humans.
ANSA Agency Mattarella’s call, refugee protection is an international and moral obligation – News – Ansa.it The Head of State invites the international community to address the root causes of forced migration (ANSA) Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA
