Italian boat may have returned migrants illegally - UN
July 31, 2018
A UN agency has said Libya is not a secure port and returning migrants to the country might have violated international law. According to Italy, the Libyan coast guard coordinated the rescue in its own waters.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/O. Calvo
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The UN refugee agency was looking into possible violations of international law by an Italian-flagged mercantile ship, which rescued more than 100 migrants and returned them to Libya earlier this week.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said on Twitter that Libya is not safe and the operation "could represent a violation of international law."
Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms said their boat had heard radio communications between the Italian ship and the Libyan authorities that confirmed that the 108 migrants were rescued from international waters on Monday and taken back to Libya, their country of departure.
The UN agency is investigating whether the rescue operation took place in international waters or in Libyan waters, as claimed by the Italian coast guard.
International law states that migrants rescued in international waters cannot be returned to a place where their lives are put in danger. Libya is classified as unsafe by both the United Nations and European Union.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Facebook on Tuesday that the Italian coast guard was not involved in the rescue and that it was coordinated by the Libyan coast guard.
Salvini, who heads Italy's far-right League party, has vowed to stop migrants from arriving on Italian coasts. He has refused permission to NGO and charity rescue boats operating in the Mediterranean to dock in Italy, accusing them of aiding human traffickers.
After months of negotiations, Italy finally has a government with Giuseppe Conte at the helm. Conte's swearing in ended weeks of turmoil that rocked financial markets, but concerns among Italy's EU partners remain.
Image: picture-alliance/ROPI
Conte: Novice at the helm
Giuseppe Conte, a little-known law professor with no political experience, was picked by the League and 5-Star Movement (M5S) as their candidate for prime minister. He was forced to temporarily give up his leadership bid after the parties' cabinet selection was initially blocked. However, after the two parties struck a deal with President Sergio Mattarella, Conte was eventually sworn in on June 1.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Lore
Mattarella: President with the final say
President Sergio Mattarella faced calls for his impeachment after he prevented the populist alliance from taking office. He singled out its choice for finance minister, Paolo Savona, warning that an openly euroskeptic minister in that position went against the parties' joint promise to simply "change Europe for the better." After the parties agreed to replace Savona, Mattarella gave the go-ahead.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Solaro
Di Maio: Anti-austerity advocate
M5S chief Luigi Di Maio secured his party 32 percent of the vote in the March election. With the populist M5S-League coalition in power, Di Maio assumed the role of joint deputy prime minister and took over the economic development portfolio. The M5S leader has come under fire for his anti-immigration rhetoric, including calling rescue missions to save migrants from drowning a "sea-taxi service."
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Fabi
Salvini: 'The Captain'
Matteo Salvini is the leader of the anti-immigrant, euroskeptic League, which won 17 percent of the vote in the March election. A former MEP, he and his party have no experience in governing. Salvini has taken on the position of interior minister within Conte's Cabinet. Known for his hostile rhetoric toward immigrants and the EU, Salvini once described the euro a "crime against humanity."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Di Meo
Savona: Anti-euro radical
Paola Savona, initially tipped to lead the Finance Ministry, has called the euro a "German cage" and said that Italy needs a plan to leave the single currency. The 81-year-old's stance won him the backing of most Italian lawmakers but that wasn't enough to stop his appointment being vetoed. In his place steps Giovanni Tria, an economics professor without any previous government experience.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Frustaci
Cottarelli: Temporary caretaker
Carlo Cottarelli was set to become Italy's caretaker prime minster after the M5S-League alliance failed to have its controversial cabinet picks approved. The former IMF economist's time in the spotlight was short-lived, however. Political uncertainty in Italy rocked Europe's financial markets and prompted Mattarella to swiftly renegotiate and approve Salvini and Di Maio's governing coalition.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/S. Lore
Berlusconi: Vanquished enabler
Silvio Berlusconi (right) and his Forza Italia entered a four-party electoral alliance including League in the March election that secured the bloc 37 percent. Berlusconi is now upset at his right-wing ally Salvini after the League leader moved to work with M5S. Berlusconi has said he would act as a "reasonable and scrutinizing opposition."
