Rome Italy.- The German humanitarian ship Louise Michel, used to rescue migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean, has been immobilized on the island of Lampedusa by the Italian authorities since Saturday, the NGO that chartered it announced on Sunday.
“We know that there are dozens of boats at risk around the island but we are prevented from helping them. It is unacceptable!” denounced the NGO Louise Michel on Twitter.
The Italian coast guard confirmed in a statement the immobilization of this former French Navy ship decorated by the artist Banksy, one of its sponsors.
Two days earlier, Italian authorities seized another Doctors Without Borders rescue ship.
The far-right government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has promised to reduce the number of migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Italy and has therefore passed a controversial law that forces humanitarian ships to return to port after each raid. rescue, thus slowing their ability to render assistance.
According to the coast guard, the immobilization of the Louise Michel in the port of Trapani is due to the fact that, after conducting a rescue operation in Libyan waters, “it disobeyed the order and left to help other boats with migrants.”
Critics of the new Italian government law say it contravenes “international maritime law, European law and human rights” and increases the risk of deaths at sea.
At the end of February, at least 86 people died in a shipwreck off the Italian coast, including many children.
The International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, estimates that at least 1,417 people went missing in the Mediterranean in 2022.
