The Italian courts have suspended the blockade of the humanitarian ship belonging to Doctors Without Borders. The blockade took place on August 26 and the organisation has described it as an “inhumane” action by Italy.
On Wednesday, the Italian courts suspended the embargo on the humanitarian ship “Geo Barents” belonging to the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Médecins Sans Frontières, which was detained at the end of August for alleged repeated violations of government regulations relating to the rescue of migrants.
On the same day that the NGO was holding a press conference in the port of Salerno, in southern Italy, where the ship was seized on August 26, to denounce the “criminalization” of humanitarian ships that rescue migrants at risk of death in the Mediterranean, the court of this city, where MSF filed an appeal last Friday, ordered the temporary suspension of the blockade while the judicial process continues and a final decision is issued allowing the ship to return to sea.
On 26 August, Italian authorities ordered the administrative detention of the MSF ship for 60 days, in addition to a fine of 3,330 euros, after the Norwegian-flagged ship docked in the port of Salerno with 191 migrants on board, including 23 unaccompanied minors, rescued in Libyan territorial waters, in various rescue operations.
According to authorities, the MSF ship repeatedly violated several provisions of legislation adopted last year by the current right-wing and far-right government, headed by Giorgia Meloni, to regulate the activities of NGO search and rescue vessels, which imposes measures such as requiring ships to disembark migrants only in ports determined by the authorities and making it impossible to carry out more than one rescue operation.
The decision was described as “inhumane” by the NGO, which deplored the fact that it was the third time that its rescue ship had been subject to sanctions “for having fulfilled its legal obligation to save lives at sea.”
At a press conference held in Salerno on Wednesday, shortly before the court’s decision was announced, specifically to “denounce the injustice” of the blocking of its boat, the organization Médecins Sans Frontières explained that it had carried out more than one rescue operation on the same day. It had found another boat with migrants in serious difficulty in Libyan territorial waters and, having received no response from the Libyan coast guard, felt the need to act, as there were already people at sea without life jackets.
“With this Italian government we can clearly see the intention: they really want to criminalise humanitarian aid provided by NGO ships,” said MSF president Christos Christou in an interview with French news agency AFP on Wednesday.
Following the decision of the Salerno court to temporarily suspend the blockade, the head of the MSF mission for search and rescue activities at sea was pleased that this would allow them to resume. “We will soon be saving lives again in the central Mediterranean,” said Juan Matías Gil.
Since last year, NGOs operating in the Mediterranean have been denouncing what they call a “war policy” directed against them by the current Italian government, headed by Giorgia Meloni, who they accuse of restricting humanitarian access in the central Mediterranean, considered the most dangerous migration route in the world.
Source: Observadora
