NGO still in the sights of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. A Tripoli militia boat fired 15 shots at the Sea-Watch 5, which is in the Mediterranean Sea after completing a rescue operation for 90 migrants in international waters, in the Libyan SAR (Search and Rescue) zone. The German NGO reported that the vessel was then chased by a Libyan patrol boat.
“The Italian authorities have washed their hands of it”
The Organization explained that “the Libyan militiamen threatened to board if the Sea-Watch 5 did not head towards Tripoli, against the directives of the German authorities – the flag state of the ship – who instead instructed the ship to head north at full speed to ensure safety”. Meanwhile, the Italian authorities have indicated Brindisi as the disembarkation port assigned to Sea-Watch 5. “After ignoring all our requests for support, Italy assigned Brindisi as the disembarkation port, 4 days away by navigation. While we were sailing north, another Libyan patrol boat ordered us to hand over the 90 rescued people. It is the Ras Jadir, a gift from Italy, involved in dozens of episodes of violence, including murders at sea. All this is possible only thanks to Italy’s contribution”, the NGO denounces.
The Catania court “frees” the Sea-Watch 5
In the dynamics of what happened on the morning of Monday 11 May, the Organization pointed the finger at the Meloni government. “The Italian authorities, consulted by Sea-Watch, washed their hands of it, stating that the situation is not their responsibility. Yet, the Libyan patrol boat present on the scene together with another smaller vessel was donated by the Italian government to Libya for capture and refoulement operations in the Mediterranean, as per the agreement signed between the two countries. The fact that these take place within the framework of the Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding denotes an Italian responsibility, which should have taken urgent action to ensure the safety of the people on board”, reads a note released by the NGO.
“Shortly after the boarding and capture of the Flotilla by Israel in international waters, we are faced with another act of piracy in the Mediterranean by actors actively supported and financed by the Italian government and the European Union,” said Sea-Watch spokeswoman Giorgia Linardi. “This is not an isolated episode: with our operations we witness daily episodes of violence at sea perpetrated by Libyans against people fleeing, with total impunity. The Mediterranean has now become a playground for criminals supported by complicit EU interests”.
“Meloni as Pontius Pilate”
The opposition intervened to criticize the executive regarding what happened. “A Libyan patrol boat, donated by the Italian government, opens fire on the Sea-Watch 5 after the rescue of 90 people in international waters and the Italian government acts like Pontius Pilate and washes its hands saying that it is not its responsibility. It’s a shame”, attacked Angelo Bonelli, Avs parliamentarian and co-spokesperson for Green Europe. The deputy and secretary of + Europe Riccardo Magi is of the same opinion: “A few days ago the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, received the prime minister of the Libyan National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibeh. Today, the Libyan patrol boats donated by Italy chase and shoot at the Sea Watch which had just saved 90 people. A full-blown criminal action in which Meloni’s Italy becomes complicit, not by condemning but rather by strengthening the agreements and the protocols that give the Libyan Coast Guard all the tools to persecute NGOs, in the name of the anti-immigration policies that this right wants to carry forward.”
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“Once again the so-called Libyan coast guard fires on an NGO. This time it was the turn of Sea Watch, ‘responsible’ according to the Libyans for having saved the migrants and wanting to take them to a safe port as required by international regulations. The patrol boat from which the Libyans fired is one of those supplied by Italy and these operations take place within the framework of the Italy-Libya agreements”, said Democratic Party MP Matteo Orfini. “The government cannot once again pretend not to see, it cannot refuse to intervene. The Mediterranean is increasingly a cemetery where gangs of criminals operate undisturbed to prevent saving lives”.