Sea Watch International, a non-governmental organization, denounced on Saturday Italian authorities’ order to return 30 migrants to Libya, after they were rescued by a merchant ship. “This is a violation of the non-refoulement principle,” Sea Watch said.
“In October 2021, the captain of the merchant ship Asso28 was sentenced to one year in prison in Italy for handing over refugees to the Libyan coast guard,” the NGO recalled.
International organizations have denounced human rights violations that are allegedly committed in the so-called “regrouping and return centers” where migrants are exposed to torture, sexual violence and forced labor, as well as other forms of exploitation “with total impunity.”
The principal investigator of the UN fact-finding mission in Libya, Chaloka Beyani, warned in March of the consequences for supporting the Libyan authorities in this matter, referring to the funding received by the Coast Guard from the European Union.
NGOs such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have asked to facilitate the evacuations of the migrant population in Libya, estimated at some 600,000 people, and have urged the European Union and the United Nations to “urgently review —and, if necessary, suspend— the current cooperation agreements with the Libyan authorities”.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), last year a total of 24,684 people were rescued or intercepted and returned to the North African country despite being considered an “unsafe” place, 529 people lost their lives and another 848 disappeared.
🔴 Rescue coordination centre Rome orders merchant ship to break international law.
The GRIMSTAD has rescued ⁓30 people in the Med & was ordered by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Rome to take the people to Libya. This is a violation of the non-refoulement principle. pic.twitter.com/E5JwdRRrrB— Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) April 29, 2023