Other Italian governments have delayed ships' arrivals to get agreements with other European Union countries to take migrants before they land, or conducted inspections that the charity groups argue seek to prevent them from conducting rescues.Īrticle 98 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires every shipmaster “to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost.” Charity ships say rescuing migrants from flimsy, unseaworthy smuggling boats, or in many cases straight from the water, is their legal obligation. Another case against him has been dismissed. Salvini, who is infrastructure minister in charge of ports in the new government, is facing trial on charges of kidnapping for refusing to let the Spanish migrant rescue ship Open Arms dock in an Italian port in 2019. A German captain, Carola Rackete, famously defied Salvini and entered an Italian port despite orders not to, citing an emergency situation on board. Salvini's refusal to open ports resulted in ships having to travel to France or Spain to disembark migrants, adding up to three days to the migrants’ journeys. The new government’s confrontational posture is reminiscent of the standoffs orchestrated by Matteo Salvini when he was briefly interior minister from 2018-19. HOW HAVE PAST ITALIAN GOVERNMENTS HANDLED RESCUES AT SEA? Often, they say, national authorities never answer their calls for help. The groups have denied the claim, saying they followed correct protocols to inform the authorities - in Italy, Malta or Libya, depending on the search-and-rescue area - once a boat in difficulty has been identified. Piantedosi claimed they did not await instruction by search and rescue authorities. Italy's new far-right-led government paved the way to closing its ports to private rescue ships by telling port authorities that two of the ships - the Ocean Viking and the Humanity 1 - did not follow European norms while carrying out rescues. Humanitarian groups, maritime legal experts and human rights activists all reject that interpretation of a flag state's jurisdiction. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi described the ships as “islands” and anyone on them as falling under the jurisdiction of the flag countries. It says that responsibility falls to the countries whose flag the ships fly. Italy says it is not responsible for taking on migrants rescued by charity rescue ships. WHAT IS ITALY'S FAR-RIGHT-LED GOVERNMENT SAYING ABOUT RESCUES? A fourth boat remains in international waters for the 17th day with 234 people on board, it's requests for a safe port unanswered. The reason for the different treatment was not immediately apparent. A third charity ship, carrying 89 people rescued at sea, unloaded all of the people it rescued in Calabria on Tuesday. Those boats are now refusing to leave until the rest of the migrants are allowed to get off as well, but Italy is not budging. Two charity rescue boats that entered Italian waters this weekend were directed to the Sicilian port of Catania, where Italian authorities allowed the disembarkation only of migrants it deemed vulnerable - families with children, unaccompanied minors and people needing medical care. WHAT IS GOING ON NOW IN THE MEDITERRANEAN? Here are some of the issues behind the standoff: Italy claims the flag countries of the ships are responsible for taking on the migrants and that charity vessels just encourage people-smuggling. Nongovernmental organizations, as well as human rights and international law experts, say vessels are legally required to rescue people in distress and coastal nations are required to provide a place of safety for them to disembark. MILAN - Italy’s new far-right-led government has blocked humanitarian rescue ships from accessing its ports, resulting in a standoff with charities that patrol the deadly central Mediterranean, rescuing people in trouble at sea.
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