The Italian government has levied a heavy fine and a two-month detention on the humanitarian rescue ship Mediterranea, following its decision to disobey orders and disembark migrants in Sicily instead of an assigned port over 1,000 kilometers away.
The ship, operated by the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans, rescued ten people, including three unaccompanied minors, from the Mediterranean. Italian authorities had directed the vessel to the distant port of Genoa for the disembarkation procedure.
Defending its actions, the NGO stated that the survivors were exhausted and traumatized, and that forcing them to endure a several-day journey through dangerous waves up to three meters high would have been inhumane. The group described the decision to dock in Trapani on August 23rd as necessary to provide urgent medical and psychological care.
In response, the Trapani Prefect issued sanctions including a 10,000-euro fine and, more significantly, a 60-day detention of the ship. The NGO condemned this as one of the strongest applications of the controversial Piantedosi Decree, calling the measure “obscene” and a “vendetta-style” provision. The president of the organization, Laura Marmorale, argued that keeping traumatized survivors on a ship was akin to forcing a burn victim to remain in the flames.
The decision has ignited a political firestorm, with opposition figures vehemently criticizing the government. Politicians from the Green and Left Alliance and +Europa party decried the move as a “cowardly,” “bullying,” and “inhumane” act that punishes those saving lives at sea. Mediterranea Saving Humans has announced it will appeal the sanctions, ready to challenge what it views as an illegitimate order that prioritizes procedure over human lives.