On Friday morning, our crew rescued 49 people from a rubber boat and straigt from the water in a severe operation. The so-called Libyan coast guard had previously disturbed the operation in such a way that several people fell into the water.
After the rescued people were able to safely leave the ship on Friday, the Italian coast guard carried out a nine-hour port state control the next day. Despite the intensive control, no reasons for detention could be found.
While the crew of the SEA-EYE 4 rescued people in the Mediterranean for the first time with substantial support from the German government, the German Bundestag is debating the issue of sea rescue in the Mediterranean.
On Friday afternoon, the SEA-EYE 4 left the port of Burriana and set off on its fourth mission of the year. It is the first mission to be partly financed by federal funds. However, a broad alliance is involved in the overall financing of the mission.
On June 30, we filed a lawsuit at the Civil Court of Chieti against the twenty-day administrative detention of the SEA-EYE 4 and the associated fine, because the new Italian law that led to the detention of the SEA-EYE 4 could bring civilian sea rescue to a standstill.
Together with ‚Refugees in Libya‘ we would like to share two testimonies of refugees in Libya with you so that you can get a small glimpse of the inhumane conditions refugees face in Libya everyday.
Once again, people have lost their lives as they fled across the Mediterranean. And once again Frontex did not come to the rescue.
Due to the new Italian law, all rescue ships could soon be detained. Sea-Eye has therefore addressed 5 points to the German Foreign Office, to ensure that sea rescue is still possible in the future.
On Friday evening, the Italian Coast Guard detained the German sea rescue ships SEA-EYE 4 and MARE*GO for 20 days. This is another reprehensible attempt to criminalize sea rescue and flight itself in order to justify ever more brutal state action.
On Friday morning, the SEA-EYE 4 docked in the port of Ortona and the 49 refugees on board were able to go ashore. Even if the feared penalties for carrying out several rescues have so far failed to materialize, it is unbearable that sea rescuers are always at risk of being criminalized and punished.