The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) refugee rescue ship Geo Barents, which had been detained in Italy for more than two weeks, has been released, Reuters reported on the 11th (local time).
MSF announced on X (formerly Twitter) that day, “The court of Salerno in southern Italy has ordered the prosecutor to release the Gio Barents from detention,” and “We have secured life-saving freedom.” The ship had been engaged in several migrant rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea since last month, and Italian authorities ordered its detention for 60 days, claiming that it had violated relevant laws.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announces resumption of rescue operations in the Mediterranean. MSF X capture.
Under a decree passed by a hard-right Italian government in October 2022 and brought into effect in January last year, rescue ships are only allowed to rescue one migrant vessel at a time and must proceed to the designated port without delay.
MSF protested the detention by Italian authorities, saying it had “no choice but to sail away” after discovering another migrant boat in distress en route to a designated port.
“People were jumping out of sinking boats, helpless and without life jackets, into the sea,” said Christos Christou, MSF’s international president. “The only thing you could do at that moment was to reach out and pull them out of the sea.”
This is the third time the Geo Barents has been detained since the relevant law came into effect in January last year. The 60-day period is the longest so far, Christou said.
The number of migrants arriving in Italy this year has plummeted by about 62% compared to the same period last year, to 44,500. The number of migrants drowning or disappearing in the Mediterranean has also fallen by about 50% over the same period.
Prime Minister Jorja Meloni, who had pledged to pursue an anti-immigration policy before taking office, said at a cabinet meeting last month that “the policy to curb illegal immigration is starting to take effect,” and that “as the number of immigrants has decreased, the number of drownings involving immigrants has also decreased.”
However, President Christou said, “Prime Minister Meloni’s words overlook the fact that the death toll may be undercounted.” He added, “If the route to Italy is blocked, migrants will have no choice but to seek longer and more dangerous routes to Europe,” adding, “In this case, the lives and safety of migrants will be further endangered.”
Reporter Jaeyoung Jeong sisleyj@segye.com
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