LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (MNA/ITALPRESS) – The NGO Alarm Phone has alerted the authorities about a group of 30 migrants on a drifting boat off the Libyan coast. “They report that they cannot move on, as engine and compass broke,” declared Alarm Phone on its X platform. The NGO urged for an immediate rescue operation as there are people in the water. Meanwhile, the Italian humanitarian organization Mediterranea urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi for his role in returning migrants intercepted in the Mediterranean to Libya, a practice they argue violates the Geneva Conventions on refugee protection. This comes as criticism mounts against Italy’s migrant policies, which rights groups claim endanger thousands by sending them back to Libya that remains deeply unsafe for migrants. In a statement, Mediterranea condemned the Italy-Libya cooperation on migrant returns, insisting it endangers lives and undermines basic human rights. Mediterranea highlighted that migrants sent back to Libya face widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture, and human trafficking, often at the hands of militias and armed groups. The organization called Italy’s actions a blatant violation of international law, urging the ICC to investigate what it considers to be “serious crimes”. Despite these concerns, Interior Minister Piantedosi recently praised Italy’s ongoing efforts to intercept and return migrants crossing the Mediterranean. In a post on social media platform X, Piantedosi announced that Italy had intercepted 16,220 migrants this year alone and returned them “safely” to Libya. He lauded the cooperation between Italy and Libya, saying it had played a key role in curbing human trafficking and reducing migrant deaths at sea. (ITALPRESS).
Foto: Agenzia Fotogramma
