30 people drown in the central Mediterranean, more than 24 hours after authorities were urged to launch a rescue
THIRTY people drowned in the central Mediterranean yesterday after the Italian, Maltese and Libyan maritime authorities failed to come to their rescue over 24 hours after the alarm was raised. Activists from the distress hotline organisation Alarm Phone were contacted by one of the roughly 47 people aboard a boat in the Libyan search-and-rescue (SAR)…
‘Not a tragedy, but a massacre’
Fortress Europe’s migration policies slammed as over 60 people drown in shipwreck off southern Italy while the country’s far right government criminalises rescuers REFUGEE rescue organisations condemned Europe’s migration policies and the criminalisation of rescuers today after at least 60 people, including children and a new born baby, drowned off the coast of Italy. A…
Libyan vessel endangers refugee rescuers in international waters
Italy orders rescue ships Life Support and Aita Mari to sail to distant ports after saving over 180 people A LIBYAN vessel menaced a refugee rescue ship operating in the central Mediterranean earlier this week, an Italian charity revealed today. Emergency made the announcement in a press release today after the crew of their rescue…
73 dead in shipwreck off Libya, as Italy’s parliament makes it harder for rescuers to save lives
Meanwhile, two rescue ships forced to disembark rescued in ports hundreds of miles away AT LEAST 73 people have been reported missing and presumed dead following a shipwreck off the Libyan coast, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) announced today, as Italy’s parliament made it harder for rescue ships to save lives. “The boat, carrying…
Rescuers disembark people the Italian government would have left to drown
THE CREW of a charity-run refugee rescue ship disembarked over 230 people at a port in north-west Italy today. The Geo Barents, a vessel run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), initially saved 69 people, including 25 minors, from an overcrowded rubber boat in international waters off the coast of Libya on Tuesday. Prior to this…
EU-supported Libyan coastguard threatens to shoot at refugee rescuers
Despite threats NGO ship and reconnaissance plane work together to save the lives of 69 people in the central Mediterranean THE EU-supported Libyan coastguard threatened to shoot at rescue workers in the central Mediterranean today after they witnessed a refugee interception. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) shared video footage from its rescue ship, the Geo Barents,…
Greek prosecutors drop charges against refugee rescuers
Defendants and activists say victory is only partial as some indictments remain THE DISMISSAL of all misdemeanour charges against 24 refugee rescuers in Greece today is but a partial victory, the defendants and fellow activists said, as some felony charges still remain. The activists, who volunteered with Emergency Response Centre International (ERCI), had been accused…
Greek court to rule on ‘farcical’ charges against refugee rescuers this week
Meanwhile, two Mediterranean rescue ships carrying 110 refugees struggle through high waves and 40-knot winds after Italy forces them to sail over 1,000km to safety A COURT in Greece is to decide later this week whether to drop the “farcical” charges against 24 refugee rescuers after the trial today was postponed to Friday, following procedural…
Air Partner: the Home Office’s little-known deportation fixer
In this reposted article from CORPORATE WATCH, we see how Air Partner and Carlson Wagonlit are the grease spinning the wheels of the UK deportation machine, organising logistics for mass-deportation flights for years. INTERNATIONAL travel megacorp Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT) holds a £5.7 million, seven-year contract with the Home Office for the “provision of travel…
Italy’s far right government makes world’s deadliest migration route ‘even more dangerous’
Rescuers publish joint letter condemning a new decree aimed at disrupting Mediterranean refugee rescue missions ITALY’S far-right government has made one of the world’s deadliest migration routes “even more dangerous” after issuing a decree this week that disrupts the way civilian search-and-rescue (SAR) ships operate in the Mediterranean Sea, rescuers said today. One of the…
Dozens of refugees being pushed back at Lithuanian and Latvian borders with Belarus
Meanwhile, around 40 people remain stuck on an island between Greece and Turkey with no help and no clothes for over a week DOZENS of people are being pushed back at the Lithuanian and Latvian borders with Belarus and left to fend for themselves in the snowy forested area for weeks, Doctors Without Borders (MSF)…
Judge orders Italian state to pay for repairs to the Iuventa rescue ship
Meanwhile, European authorities continue to ignore the rights of hundreds of refugees still at sea even after a child is born aboard a rescue ship A JUDGE has ordered the Italian state to pay for repairs to a refugee rescue ship that was left to rust in port after it was seized in 2017. The…
Libyan Coastguards intercept 80 refugees after harassing rescuers for days
RESCUERS witnessed the EU-supported Libyan Coastguards snatch around 80 refugees in the central Mediterranean today, and force them back to Libya. The rescue ships Louise Michel and Humanity 1 saved the lives of over 100 people from a severely overcrowded rubber boat in international waters around 7am local time this morning. The crews worked together…
Refugees trapped at Poland-Belarus border are freezing, starving and sick, some are being sexually abused by border guards, activists say
Meanwhile, rescues resume in the Mediterranean despite Libyan Coastguard’s efforts to stop them PEOPLE trapped at the Poland-Belarus border are suffering from malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, frost bite and worse, some are even being sexually abused by border guards on both sides, activists warned today. Grupa Granica, a Polish human rights and medical aid group, and…
Rescuers relieved after France provides port, but angered by ‘dire ordeal’ they have been put through
Three-week journey almost over for the 230 remaining survivors aboard the Ocean Viking IT WAS with a mixture of relief and anger that rescuers welcomed the news today that they had finally been given permission to disembark over 200 refugees in a safe port. The Ocean Viking rescue ship is heading to Toulon, southern France,…
Rescuers vow to continue saving lives in the Mediterranean after Italy ends four-day stand-off
RESCUERS vowed to continue their life-saving mission in the central Mediterranean today after Italy finally allowed the 250 people stuck aboard two civilian-run ships to come ashore. The Humanity 1 and Geo Barents rescue ships had been left in limbo in the port of Catania on the island of Sicily since Saturday. The Italian authorities…
Italy’s far-right government accused of causing further harm to the traumatised refugees on two rescue ships
• Survivors on the Humanity 1 and Geo Barents begin hunger strike in protest against government’s mistreatment • Mission Lifeline disembarks 95 people in southern Italy • Ocean Viking declares emergency and heads to France • Inadequate translations postpone Iuventa pretrial again ITALY’S far-right government is causing further harm to people already traumatised, human rights…
Rescuers launch legal action against Italy’s far-right government after it refuses to allow all survivors to come ashore
Humanity 1 and Geo Barents left waiting in port with survivors still on board as over 300 refugees remain at sea on the Rise Above and Ocean Viking AN ACTIVIST-RUN search-and-rescue organisation announced today that it is taking legal action again the Italian government after it refused to allow 35 people rescued in the Mediterranean…
Rescuers call on France, Spain and Greece for help as Italy continues to deny safety to 985 refugees
Meanwhile, the Rise Above saves 77 more lives in the Mediterranean as Sea-Watch proclaims new ship a ‘strong symbol against fascism’ RESCUERS called on the maritime authorities in France, Spain and Greece for help today as Italy and Malta continued to refuse to deny safety to 985 people on three NGO ships off their coasts.…
Italian and Maltese authorities refuse to allow over 980 people to come ashore
The Ocean Viking, Humanity 1 and Geo Barents rescue ships are kept waiting days after rescues OVER 980 people, including hundreds of children, on three activist-run rescue ships have been waiting for days for the Italian maritime authorities to allow them to come ashore. The three ships — the Humanity 1, the Ocean Viking, and…
Louise Michel rescuers forced to attempt port entry without permission after three guests throw themselves overboard
Meanwhile, the Nadir saves the lives of 120 people in the central Mediterranean while Alarm Phone warns 100 others are in danger off the coast of Libya RESCUERS were forced to try to enter an Italian port without permission this morning after some of the 48 people they rescued threw themselves overboard and tried to…
European authorities ignore Louise Michel’s calls for a port of safety
Crew member tells The Civil Fleet that tensions could rise as the 48 rescued wait for three days while the Italian coastguards saves others EUROPEAN maritime authorities have ignored at least three requests made by the crew of an activist-run refugee rescue ship that is within sight of land. The Louise Michel, a rescue ship…
Humanity 1 finally assigned a port, but rescuers warn the 42-hour journey to get there will push the survivors and crew to the limit
Meanwhile, the Open Arms Uno now carries over 400 survivors and the corpse of a 20-year-old Eritrean man THE Humanity 1 rescue ship has finally been assigned a port of safety after spending close to two weeks at sea. “Last night, the 398 rescued on the Humanity 1 were assigned Taranto, Italy as a safe…
Humanity 1 running out of food, water and medical supplies for 398 refugees
European authorities ignore crew’s 16 calls for a port to disembark the rescued AN ACTIVIST-RUN rescue ship carrying over 390 survivors in the central Mediterranean is running out of water, food, medical supplies and baby milk powder, the crew warned today after their 16th call to the European maritime authorities went unanswered. The situation aboard…
Rescuers save 207 refugees stranded at sea for over a week
The three-month-old baby that was feared dead is alive, SOS Humanity confirms. The rescued now join 208 others aboard the Humanity 1, while over 500 more wait for dry land on two other NGO ships ACTIVIST rescuers reached a refugee boat in the central Mediterranean last night that had been adrift for over a week…
Rescuers race towards 207 people stranded for days without food, water, or help from the European authorities
The Humanity 1, which changed course yesterday and is nearing the boat’s last known position, is already carrying 208 survivors AN ACTIVIST-RUN refugee rescue ship is racing towards a boat carrying about 207 people* adrift in the central Mediterranean for over a week, and without food or water or assistance from the authorities for days.…
UNHCR official accused of ‘victim blaming’ the mothers of missing refugees in the Mediterranean
ACTIVISTS accused a United Nation’s refugee agency (UNHCR) official of “victim blaming” today after he took to social media to criticise the mothers of missing migrants and refugees. In Tunisia today, human rights activists and civil society organisations took part in a commemorative protest, or “CommemorAction,” with relatives of the thousands of people that have…
Seven years since Alan Kurdi’s tragic death, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas have become a mass graveyard
Activist tell The Civil Fleet how the situation for the people at Fortress Europe’s walls has only got worse since the two-year-old boy’s lifeless body was seen across the world IN THE seven years since the tragic death of the two-year-old Syrian-Kurdish boy Alan Kurdi, the Mediterranean and Aegean seas have become a mass graveyard,…
Malta abandons 80 people in distress in its search-and-rescue area
The island nation orders merchant vessel not to help them. Meanwhile, over 700 rescued refugees on two NGO ships wait for land MALTA has abandoned about 60 to 80 people stranded within in its Mediterranean search-and-rescue (SAR) area today and ordered a merchant vessel not to help them, activists have warned. Alarm Phone, an activist…
Greece and Turkey abandon Syrian refugees trapped on island for over a week
Both countries refuse to take responsibility for around 70 people in distress, and claim the island is not their territory THE governments of Greece and Turkey ignored calls today to launch an urgent rescue of Syrian refugees trapped for over a week on an islet in the river that separates the two countries. About 70…
Refugees attempt to jump overboard as European authorities leave them stranded at sea for over a week
MSF, SOS Mediterranean and Sea-Watch call on European states to resume search-and-rescue missions as thousands continue to flee Libya TWO refugees aboard an NGO ship have attempted to throw themselves into the Mediterranean Sea, their rescuers said today as the European authorities fail to act on 13 requests for a safe port. The Geo Barents,…
Geo Barents saves hundreds of refugees in just over 24 hours
Meanwhile, the authorities refuse to aid over 800 others aboard the Sea-Watch 3 and Ocean Viking A CIVILIAN rescue ship has saved the lives of over 200 people in the central Mediterranean in less than 48 hours, while the authorities continue to ignore over 800 refugees aboard two other vessels. The Geo Barents, operated by…
Europe ignored refugee rescuers’ Mayday calls, activists say
110 people are now cramped aboard the Astral after their boat capsized. With no food or water, the ship sails for Lampedusa THE AUTHORITIES ignored Mayday calls sent by two activist-run refugee rescue ships in the Mediterranean Sea last night as they struggled in the dark to pull 110 people from the water. Two sailing…
EU Commission Vice President claims Europe always open to people fleeing war and persecution
Rescuers cast serious doubts on Margaritis Schinas’s dubious assertion at the World Economic Forum today THE European Commission’s vice president Margaritis Schinas raised eyebrows today when he claimed that Europe will “always be an asylum destination” for refugees. Mr Schinas was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — where billionaire barons and…
Activists save 64 refugees, a day after preventing the Libyan coastguard from intercepting 75 others
SOS Mediterranee’s Ocean Viking rescue ship now carries almost 300 survivors ACTIVISTS saved the lives of another 64 people in the central Mediterranean today, a day after they prevented the EU-supported Libyan coastguards from intercepting over 70 refugees. Today’s rescue was carried out in a joint operation by the Astral, Nadir and Imara monitoring ships…
‘The real crime is the EU’s border regime’, activists say as refugees and rescue workers prepare to go to court
‘The duty to save lives at sea is being put on trial’, Amnesty International warns ahead of Iuventa pretrial. Meanwhile, 500 survivors on the Geo Barents still wait for dry land TWO refugees and 21 rescue workers are due to appear in court this week charged with people smuggling, but the real crime is the…
One-year-old baby and 294 refugees still waiting to be allowed to come ashore 8 days after rescue
The maritime authorities ignore the Ocean Viking’s 10 requests for a port of safety A ONE-YEAR-OLD baby is among 295 refugees aboard a charity-operated rescue ship that is still waiting for a safe port eight days after they were saved from a watery grave. The Ocean Viking rescue ship has been sailing in the central…
131 refugee lives saved as further evidence of Mediterranean pushbacks emerge
Meanwhile, in Britain, campaigners launch legal challenge against government’s ‘medieval-style Rwanda banishment’ plans ACTIVIST rescuers saved a further 131 people in the central Mediterranean today, as more signs of illegal refugee pushbacks were discovered. The activist-run Ocean Viking rescue ship carried out what it described as a difficult operation in three-metre high waves in the…
Activists celebrate ‘stunning victory’ after UK Home Office drops refugee pushback plans
ACTIVISTS celebrated “a stunning victory” today after Britain’s Home Secretary Priti Patel abandoned her controversial plans to push refugees crossing the Channel back to France. Care4Calais, Channel Rescue, Freedom from Torture and the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union brought legal challenges against the Home Office last year opposing its proposed policy of turning back…
Activist-rescuers save the lives of 171 refugees in central Mediterranean
Meanwhile, 17 die in shipwreck off Tunisia RESCUERS have prevented 171 refugees from drowning in the central Mediterranean this weekend. European charity SOS Mediterranee announced this afternoon that the crew aboard its rescue ship Ocean Viking had picked up 70 people from a deflating rubber boat in international waters off Libya. “A Libyan patrol vessel…
‘I knew we wouldn’t be able to save them all’
Sea-Watch crew member BREN DAN gives a first-hand account of pulling desperate, drowning people out of the Mediterranean I’VE BEEN away with Sea-Watch for the last few weeks. I want to share what happened to one of the boats we went to rescue. It was the fourth of the five boats we rescued. A sinking…
Refugee pushbacks at Greece’s borders continued unabated last year, new report finds
Mare Liberum publishes harrowing testimonies from refugees in its Pushback Report 2021 THE illegal practice of forcibly returning refugees across borders, known as pushback, continued unabated in Greece last year, an independent human rights organisation says in a report published today. The report, by Mare Liberum, a charity that monitors the Greek coastguard’s treatment of…
Malta refuses to provide safety to 106 refugees aboard the Sea-Eye 4
Meanwhile, Greece fails to act on ECHR order to rescue 34 people trapped on river island MALTA has once again refused to allow the crew of an NGO refugee rescue ship to disembark people rescued from the central Mediterranean. The Sea-Eye 4 rescue ship is currently carrying 106 people saved in four operations since Wednesday.…
34 people stuck on islet in the Evros River for two days in need of rescue
Alarm Phone and BVMN demand Greek authorities launch rescue operation immediately ACTIVISTS have demanded that the authorities save the lives of 34 people, including six children and a pregnant woman, currently stuck on an islet in the river that separates Greece from Turkey for the last two days. The 34 people made the attempted crossing…
Refugees in Libya highlight injustice of EU opening up borders to white people but not them
REFUGEES stuck in Libya have hit out at European governments’ treatment of non-white refugees following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. At least 368,000 people have reached the boarders of Poland, Hungary, Romania and Moldova from Ukraine, the United Nation’s refugee agency (UNHCR) said today. Government agencies across the continent expressed solidarity with Ukrainian refugees over…
Christian crowdfunding website pulls far-right influencer’s ‘migrant hunter boat’ campaign following questions
A CHRISTIAN crowdfunding website has deleted a British far-right influencer’s campaign to raise funds for a “migrant hunter boat” following questions about its appropriateness. Alan Leggett, a YouTuber who goes by Active Patriot, launched his “Migrant Hunter baot [sic]” campaign on Tuesday on GiveSendGo, which describes itself as the “#1 free Christian crowdfunding site,” “a…
Civilian rescuers save 247 lives in less than 48 hours in the Mediterranean
CIVILIAN rescuers saved hundreds of lives in the central Mediterranean in less than 48 hours at the weekend. The Ocean Viking, a ship operated by European charity SOS Mediterranee and the International Federation of the Red Cross [IFRC], is now carrying 247 survivors after completing a fifth rescue operation today. The IFRC said today that…
Tactical police unit tear gasses housing activists and refugees from an empty tower block in Calais
AN ELITE tactical unit of the French police launched a rooftop raid on an empty residential tower building in Calais today, using stun grenades to clear out activists who had been providing shelter for refugees this past week. In scenes resembling Holywood cinema or the Grand Theft Auto video game series, the Search, Assistance, Intervention…
CommemorActions across the world remember those killed by journeys across borders
Refugees in Libya’s detention camps begin hunger strike in protest against their treatment A SERIES of commemorative protests, or “CommemorActions,” were held across the world this weekend in remembrance of those who have died, gone missing or forcibly disappeared on their journeys across borders. Activists joined friends and families of the dead and missing in…
Fifa boss suggests biennial World Cups could ‘give hope to Africans so they don’t need to cross the Mediterranean’
While Gianni Infantino spoke at the Council of Europe, 439 refugees on the Geo Barents wait for Europe to let them come ashore, and Poland begins border wall construction FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s suggested today that hosting the World Cup every two years instead of every four would help prevent refugees from crossing the Mediterranean.…
The lives of seven refugees could have been saved had the authorities acted earlier, activists say
Meanwhile, over 400 refugees on board the Geo Barents wait for Europe to finally allow them to come ashore THE DEATHS of seven refugees in the Mediterranean could have been prevented had the authorities arrived earlier, civilian rescuers charged today. The authorities were first alerted to a boat in distress carrying what was later confirmed…
A response from the UNHCR on the situation outside its community day care centre in Tripoli
FOLLOWING the publication of yesterday’s story on the situation outside the UNHCR’s community day care (CDC) centre in Tripoli, the agency sent The Civil Fleet the following response. It was too long to include in the original article, which you can read here, and therefore we post it here in its entirety. [THE UNHCR] remains…
Stranded refugees in Libya call for donations to aid their survival and continue protests
‘We are now exposed to kidnappings, militia attacks and extortion,’ protester says after UNHCR closes community day centre in Tripoli REFUGEES stranded in Libya’s capital city have launched a crowdfund to raise money for medicines, food and shelter, and to help them cover the costs of their continued protests against their treatment. A group of…
Fossil fuel giant Shell and EU maritime authorities accused of complicity in Mediterranean refugee ‘pullback’
Banksy-funded rescue ship Louise Michel carries 31 refugees as Tunisian Navy sends 70 to its ‘unsafe’ country EUROPEAN maritime authorities and fossil fuel giant Shell were accused of complicity in the sending of about 70 refugees to an unsafe country today. Civilian rescuers on board the Louise Michel, a rescue ship part-funded by the elusive…
‘The possibilities for change are endless’
Ben Cowles takes a look back at the podcast interviews he did this year, hoping that the words of those fighting back against Fortress Europe will inspire others to tear its walls down “I HAD this moment after our third rescue,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) midwife Kira Smith says during our interview about the charity’s…
Europe’s humanitarian crisis will not stop for Christmas, rescuers warn
Close to 800 refugees on the Sea-Eye 4, Ocean Viking and Geo Barents ships are in need of dry land THE humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean will not stop for Christmas, civilian rescuers carrying close to 800 refugees warned today. Three rescue ships, the Sea-Eye 4, Ocean Viking and Geo Barents, are currently operating in…
Injured five-year-old boy waits for Europe to allow him to come ashore
Having spent three days cramped up on a boat in the Mediterranean, he can’t walk unaided, his rescuers say. He and over 200 refugees remain on the Sea-Eye 4 AN INJURED five-year-old boy is one of eight kids and seven pregnant women aboard a refugee rescue ship waiting for the European authorities to finally allow…
‘The EU must be held accountable for the crimes it has committed against people trying to reach its borders’
Refugee turned activist YAMBIO DAVID OLIVER tells The Civil Fleet what led to the protests outside a UNHCR registration centre in Tripoli Europe must be held accountable for the human rights abuses committed against the people trying to reach safety across its borders, refugees trapped in Libya told The Civil Fleet today. A group of…
Choose Love: why is the charity funder quitting Calais this Christmas?
To find out, CORPORATE WATCH speaks with some who worked with the organisation and explores its links with a private equity fund that has a Tory Lord on its board THINGS will be even more desperate in Calais and Dunkirk this Christmas. Many charities working to support migrants there depend on funding from one organisation:…
Activists hit out at Italy, Malta and EU after they refuse to send help to over 400 refugees from sinking boat
The Sea-Watch 4 rescue ship, now carrying 463 people, still waits to be assigned a port as a storm approaches EUROPEAN maritime authorities have refused to come to the aid of over 400 people travelling across the Mediterranean in an overcrowded boat, activists warned today. The refugee distress hotline organisation Alarm Phone first alerted the…
Italy and Malta refuse to allow 475 rescued people to come ashore
Prominent human rights lawyers demand ICC investigate possible crimes against humanity in Libya and warn of EU’s role in the crisis BOTH Italy and Malta are refusing to allow 475 people, including many pregnant women and children, who would have drowned in the Mediterranean were it not for NGO rescuers, to reach dry land. The…
Libyan coastguard threatens to shoot and kidnap refugee rescuers
End ‘dirty partnership’ with the Libyan coastguards, Europe told after Sea-Watch 4 and its 120 rescued refugees are put in danger EUROPEAN governments have been told to end their “dirty” deal with the Libyan coastguard after it threatened to “kidnap” and then shoot at an NGO refugee rescue ship. German refugee organisation Sea-Watch today posted…
10 more refugee lives lost on ‘the world’s deadliest migration route’
Meanwhile, three activists are to stand trial in Greece after saving thousands of lives in the Aegean Sea AT LEAST ten more refugee lives have been added to the growing number of those lost in the central Mediterranean so far this year. The international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced on Tuesday night that…
Greece told to drop charges against father of 6-year-old refugee who drowned while trying to cross the Aegean Sea
Meanwhile, the Ocean Viking still waits for Europe to allow 306 refugees to come ashore GREECE must drop the charges brought against the father of a six-year-old boy who died in a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea last year and another man who piloted the boat, refugee rights campaigners have demanded. The two men, known…
Alarm Phone and MSF save 71 refugees from sinking rubber boat
The Geo Barents rescues over 360 people having reached the Libyan SAR zone on Friday ACTIVISTS worked together today to save the lives of over 70 refugees from a deflating rubber boat in rough central Mediterranean waters. The distress hotline organisation Alarm Phone last night informed the Maltese, Italian and Libyan authorities of a rubber…
Aita Mari’s 105 rescued refugees finally allowed to come ashore
Italy allows the ship to port in Sicily after Malta forces it to sail through stormy seas THE Aita Mari was finally granted a port today after it was forced to sail through stormy seas last night. The ship rescued 105 people within Malta’s search-and-rescue (SAR) zone on Tuesday but was left with nowhere to…
Greek coastguard’s intentions called into question after it orders human rights monitoring ship to go back to port
Meanwhile, in the central Med, Sea-Watch 3 allowed to come ashore, but Aita Mari is kept waiting THE Greek coastguard’s intentions were called into question today after it ordered an NGO ship to sail back to port for supposedly “posing a danger” to its operations — despite not ordering the other vessels in the area…
Over 500 refugees rescued in the absence of the authorities still wait for Europe to allow them to come ashore
The Aita Mari and Sea-Watch 3 rescuers call Malta, Italy and the European Commission to comply with their own laws OVER 500 refugees saved from drowning in the central Mediterranean by activist rescuers in the absence of the European authorities are still waiting for Europe to do its duty and allow them to come ashore.…
EU urged to end relationship with Libyan Coastguards and resume sea rescues after Aita Mari saves 105 people in Malta’s SAR zone
Meanwhile, the Sea-Watch 3 still waits to for permission to bring its rescued ashore EU governments were urged once again today to end their relationship with the Libyan Coastguards and resume state-led rescue missions after activists rescued more refugees in Malta’s search-and-rescue (SAR) zone this morning. The Aita Mari rescue ship saved the lives of…
EU ‘putting human lives at risk’ again as 34 refugees continue to wait for assistance
Malta, Italy and Germany dodge responsibility to answer the Nadir’s calls for help EUROPE’S failure to assist refugees in distress at sea came into focus again today as 34 people on board an NGO rescue ship continue to wait for the authorities to come to their aid. Last night, the Nadir, a sailing ship on…
No lives lost during difficult refugee rescue mission in the Mediterranean
Sea-Watch 3 saves 412 lives in waters off the coast of Libya in several operations since Sunday NO LIVES were lost during a difficult refugee rescue mission in the central Mediterranean today when a heavily overcrowded boat split in half, sending some into the water. Fortunately the well-trained crew of the Sea-Watch 3 rescue ship…
International community urged ‘to suspend all agreements with Libya’ as systematic abuse of refugees continues
UNHCR ‘deeply regrets’ closing community centre as refugees gather for fifth day demanding protection WORLD governments were urged today to suspend all agreements with the Libyan government until it complies with international human rights and humanitarian laws. The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), a global network of over 200 human rights NGOs, and the Libyan…
Refugees ‘systematically subjected to a litany of abuses’ from the moment they enter Libya, new UN report warns
Sea-Watch’s reconnaissance plane convinces a merchant vessel not to abandon 70 people in the Mediterranean MIGRANTS and refugees heading to Europe are “systematically subjected to a litany of abuses” from the moment they enter Libya, the UN warned today. A fact-finding report commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council and published today states that “the…
686 people survive Mediterranean crossing in an overcrowded fishing boat
Meanwhile, the 60 refugees aboard the NGO ship Geo Barents are finally allowed to reach Italy eight days after they were rescued OVER 680 people crammed into a decrepit fishing vessel survived a journey across the Mediterranean last night. The Italian customs police intercepted a 15-meter-long vessel carrying 686 people four miles off the coast…
Another refugee evacuated from NGO ship as rescuers wait two days for Europe to assign them a port
Meanwhile, the Sea-Watch 4 heads to Spain for repairs after being detained in Italy since May A REFUGEE has been medically evacuated from an NGO ship, his civilian rescuers said today as they continue to wait for the European authorities to provide them with a port. The Ocean Viking saved the lives of 58 people…
UK Border Force boats seen practising refugee pushbacks
Channel Rescue witnesses border guards use jet skis to turn an overcrowded boat around UK BORDER Force vessels in the English Channel were seen taking part in drills today that, according to a human rights monitoring organisation, resemble the illegal practice of refugee pushbacks. Channel Rescue activists spotted the training exercise from the beach at…
Rescuers save the lives of 86 people at ‘the most dangerous frontier on the planet’
Meanwhile, activists blast the Greek government on anniversary of Moria fire AN NGO ship saved the lives of over 80 people in two rescue operations today, the first one occurring within hours of reaching “the most dangerous frontier on the planet.” The Astral, a ship operated by the Spanish charity Open Arms, left Syracuse on…
85 refugees saved, a day after rescuers witness an illegal pushback in Malta’s waters
AN NGO rescue ship has saved the lives of over 80 people off the coast of Libya, a day after witnessing an illegal pushback of refugee inside European waters. ResQ People, a ship operated by an Italian charity of the same name, announced on social media this afternoon that it found a small wooden boat…
Keep sending migrants back to Afghanistan, six European countries tell EU Commission
As Taliban retake the country, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Germany speak of ‘urgent need to perform voluntary and non-voluntary returns to Afghanistan’ GOVERNMENT ministers from six European countries have called on the EU leadership to continue returning migrants to Afghanistan — even as the religious extremist Taliban group’s forces retake large swathes…
Italy must drop charges against Iuventa’s refugee rescuers, Amnesty demands
Meanwhile, the Sea-Watch 3 and Ocean Viking find themselves ‘in a situation that should never occur at sea’ AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL called on the Italian authorities today to drop legal proceedings against activists from refugee the Iuventa rescue ship. Between August 2016 and August 2017, the vessel’s crew saved the lives of more than 14,000 people…
More than 800 refugees on two rescue ships wait for authorities to allow them to come ashore
The Ocean Viking, Sea-Watch 3, and Nadir wait hours and hours for authorities to help MORE than 800 refugees onboard two civilian-run rescue ships in the central Mediterranean urgently need to come ashore, their rescuers said today — but the European authorities have so far ignored their calls. The Ocean Viking, now carrying 553 survivors,…
European authorities ignored civilian rescuers’ mayday calls while they saved hundreds of refugees at the weekend
500 others still stranded in Malta’s waters, Alarm Phone warns CIVILIAN rescuers saved the lives of over 800 refugees in the central Mediterranean at the weekend with no help from the European authorities, who ignored their mayday calls and helped the Libyan Coastguards return hundreds of people to the war-torn country. The Sea-Watch 3, a…
Libyan coastguards threaten to arrest NGO refugee rescuers in international waters
Meanwhile, another refugee boat waits for the Maltese authorities to finally come to their aid THE EU-supported Libyan coastguard threatened to arrest the crew of a civilian-run refugee rescue ship in international waters today. The Sea-Watch 3 returned to the central Mediterranean on Monday, its first mission in the region since Italy detained it for…
Fury after Malta leaves rescuers ‘in the dark’ searching for 46 refugees it had already saved
Meanwhile, at least 57 lives are lost in a shipwreck off Libya’s coast THE MALTESE authorities deliberately left civilian rescuers searching for hours for 46 refugees that had already been picked up by the authorities. Malta’s Home Affairs Ministry confirmed today that an Armed Forces Malta (AFM) patrol boat had brought the people to safety…
Human rights violations continue ‘unabated’ in Libya’s migrant detention camps, Amnesty finds
Italy’s parliament votes to continue support for Libyan Coastguard despite dire warnings. Meanwhile, EU parliamentary group finds faults with Frontex HUMAN rights violations against people trapped in Libya’s migrant detention centres continued “unabated” during the first six months of this year, a new report by Amnesty International revealed today. The study, entitled No-One Will Look…
Over 1,100 people have died on sea routes to Europe so far this year, double the numbers of this time last year
As IOM reiterates call for EU states to respect international refugee laws, three people die while Malta delays rescue MORE people have died on maritime migration routes into Europe in the first six months of this year than in the same period of 2020, according to research by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). At…
Mare Liberum to resume refugee rights monitoring missions in the Aegean Sea
Crew sets sail for Samos as Greek Coastguards continue illegal refugee pushbacks to Turkey A HUMAN rights monitoring group whose work the German state had tried to thwart announced its return to the Aegean Sea today. The refugee support organisation Mare Liberum had been monitoring migrant and refugee sea crossings between Turkey and Greece since…
Three-day ordeal over for 86 refugees abandoned by Malta
The Nadir hands over the rescued to the Italian authorities after seeing off the Libyan Coastguard. Meanwhile, the Geo Barents is finally allowed to bring 410 refugees to dry land THE THREE-day ordeal for 86 refugees abandoned by the Maltese maritime authorities as they drifted across the Mediterranean came to an end today when their…
Merchant ship handed rescued refugees over to the Libyan Coastguard
Sea-Watch and Alarm Phone confirm the intercepted were forced back to Libya against their will AROUND 180 people were forcibly returned to Libya, it was confirmed today, after the merchant ship that had saved their lives handed them over to the Libyan Coastguards. There were roughly 470 people adrift on five boats yesterday, the activist-run…
Italy and Malta refuse to provide Geo Barents’ 410 rescued refugees with a port
Meanwhile, activists urge merchant ship not to hand over refugees to Libyan Coastguard EVERY minute in which the authorities fail to allow 410 refugees onboard a charity rescue ship to come ashore is a minute too long, a member of the crew told The Civil Fleet today. The Geo Barents, a rescue ship run by…
‘Moria fire trial was ‘not up to legal standards’
Lawyers and activists slam Greek court’s proceedings and decision to sentence four teenage Afghan refugees to 10-years in an adult jail THE trial of four Afghan teenagers jailed for 10 years each for starting a fire that destroyed a much-criticised refugee camp last year was not up to legal standards, observers have said. The youths…
Fairness of the trial against Afghan teenagers accused of burning down Moria refugee camp called into question
Public barred from courtroom and prosecution’s key witness doesn’t show. Elsewhere in Fortress Europe, Libyan Coastguards intercept hundreds of refugees and intimidate NGO rescuers THE FAIRNESS of a trial against four Afghan teenagers today accused of burning down an overcrowded refugee camp in Greece last year has been called into question after the court shut…
Unesco opens Tunisian memorial to shipwrecked refugees
Le Jardin d’Afrique is both a symbol and an actual burial place for the refugees who perish along the perilous sea routes of the Mediterranean by Michal Boncza THE director-general of the UN’s cultural agency Unesco, Audrey Azoula, inaugurated a garden in the coastal Tunisian town of Zarzis this week commemorating refugees who drowned while…
Protesters across Europe call for the abolition of the EU’s border force
New activist network Abolish Frontex says the agency lies at the centre of the violence perpetrated by Fortress Europe THE EUROPEAN Union’s border force (Frontex) and the system it spearheads should be abolished, activists at protests in cities across Europe demanded today. Marking the launch of Abolish Frontex, an activist network comprised of over 50…
Refugee support organisation Josoor calls for donations after donor pulls out following Greek authorities’ ‘criminalisation campaign’
Meanwhile, five NGO refugee rescue ships continued to be held in Italy AN NGO that supports refugees in Turkey is appealing for financial help after a donor withdrew a promise of funding following unconfirmed reports that the Greek authorities are investigating its activities. Austrian NGO Josoor said today that it had previously received a written…
UN demands EU reforms it search-and-rescue policies days after refugee bodies wash up on a beach in Libya
Meanwhile, lawyers take Frontex to court for the first time in the agency’s history over its alleged role in pushbacks THE United Nations’ top human rights official called on the European Union today to urgently reform its search-and-rescue practices in the central Mediterranean, just days after the bodies of drowned refugee children washed up on…
Rescued refugees reach dry land after authorities send them on a two-day detour
‘No-one in the governments of Europe seem to even think about respecting human rights any more,’ Sea Eye chairman says EUROPE’S commitment to human rights was called into question again today as an NGO ship was finally allowed to disembark 400 rescued refugees today after it was forced to take a two-day detour. The Sea-Eye…
Malta again refuses its responsibility to bring people rescued in its waters to safety
The Sea-Eye 4 heads towards Italy as the mayor of Palermo says the city will welcome the ship’s 400 rescued refugees MALTA refused to allow refugees onboard an NGO ship to come ashore today, despite many of them having been rescued within its own search-and-rescue (SAR) zone. Civilian rescuers on their maiden voyage aboard the…
400 refugees saved in 72 hours off Libyan coast with no help from European authorities
Rescuers onboard the Sea-Eye 4 call for a port of safety to disembark the rescued CIVILIAN refugee rescuers have saved the lives of more than 400 people in just 72 hours in the central Mediterranean — with no help from the European maritime authorities. The activist-run emergency hotline organisation Alarm Phone alerted the crew of…
Doctors Without Borders to resume Mediterranean search-and-rescue missions aboard new ship
At least 17 people drown off the coast of Tunisia having left Libya two days ago THE INTERNATIONAL medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is to resume search-and-rescue operations in the central Mediterranean aboard a new ship. Since 2015, MSF has sent medical crews to work onboard seven NGO refugee rescue ships, most recently with…
The Civil Fleet 