Italian court drops trafficking charges against crew members of migrant rescue ships
An Italian court threw out charges Friday against crew members of migrant rescue ships, ending a controversial case seven years after the government accused them of colluding with traffickers.
Triggered by a tip-off by an ex-policeman on board and marked by the wire-tapping of lawyers and journalists, the long-running case had been highlighted as an extreme example of efforts by European governments to thwart NGOs helping migrants at sea.
The court in Trapani, Sicily dismissed all charges against 10 defendants from the Iuventa, Vos Hestia and Vos Prudence ships operated by German NGO Jugend Rettet, Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), respectively -- following the recommendation of the prosecution in February.
Following the ruling, the Iuventa crew members said the case "stands as the longest, most expensive, and most extensive proceedings against SAR (Search-and-Rescue) NGOs, including two years of preliminary hearing with over 40 hearings".
"The Iuventa case marked the onset of a public smear campaign against civil sea rescue, aimed at legitimising crackdowns on rescue efforts," it said.
They were accused of coordinating their search-and-rescue actions with human traffickers off Libya, returning dinghies and boats to them to be reused, and of rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean whose lives were not in danger.
Migrant surge
(AFP)
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