The Council of Europe has called on EU countries to immediately find a solution for the 43 refugees who have been waiting to land onboard the „Sea-Watch 3“ rescue vessel for a week. People should never be brought back to Libya because it is not a safe country, said Council of Europe human rights representative Dunja Mijatovic, according to the ANSA news agency.
In a report released today, Mijatovic also calls for a cessation of co-operation between the Council of Europe countries and the Libyan Coast Guard, as long as there are no „clear guarantees“ for respect for human rights in Libya.
The Libyan Coast Guard returns people who have been arrested to Libya, where they are „systematically imprisoned“, the report said. In the camps, they face the risk of torture, sexual violence, extortion and other serious human rights violations.
Italy is crossing
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini continues to refuse to grant the ship a landing permit. On a visit to the United States, he again criticized the fact that nobody in Europe wanted to change the rules of the Dublin Asylum Treaty. „This is a matter that interests nobody but the Mediterranean countries,“ said Salvini according to the media.
The German aid organization Sea-Watch had saved on Wednesday 53 people from a dinghy off Libya. Ten refugees were allowed to land on Lampedusa on Saturday for medical treatment. Last week, the Cabinet of Rome passed a decree that non-governmental organizations risk penalties of between € 10,000 and € 50,000 for unauthorized entry into a port.
