Italy stops male migrants from disembarking rescue ships
The Italian government has come under heavy criticism after it emerged that 250 people were prevented from disembarking two migrant rescue ships.
There are 215 blocked on the Geo Barents and 35 on Humanity 1.
Children and people with medical issues were allowed to leave the ships in Catania, Sicily, but others were not.
Italy PM crackdown on migrants
The newly elected prime minister of Italy has vowed a crackdown on migrants travelling across the Mediterranean.
Italy is one of the main entry points into Europe and since the start of the year, 85,000 migrants have arrived on boats, according to the UN.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said those who did not qualify needed to leave Italian waters and should be taken care of by the “flag state.”
But Humanity 1 – which sails under a German flag – is refusing to leave the port until “all survivors rescued from distress at sea have been disembarked” said SOS Humanity – the German charity that operates it.
In a series of tweets, SOS Humanity added that “the law of the sea obliges him [the captain] to bring all those rescued from distress to a safe place.
“Survivors have the right to an individual protection check, which can only be done on land. Rejecting the 35 people seeking protection aboard Humanity 1 from territorial waters is a form of collective refusal and is therefore illegal.”
In tweets posted later on Sunday, SOS Humanity said it would launch legal action against the Italian government on Monday, claiming Italy’s actions violate European law and the Geneva Refugee Convention.
It added it was unlawful to not let all the migrants disembark and it would also launch legal proceedings in Catania, to allow those who remained on board the vessel to disembark and begin asylum applications.
MSF runs the Geo Barents and also hit out at the Italian government saying it “is not considered legal under maritime law conventions”.
There are two other rescue boats at sea with no ports willing to accept them. All four boars have reported people sleeping on floors and decks and supplies running low. Some migrants have been on the ships for more than two weeks.
