A Hearing on The Detention of the Rescue Ship is Scheduled for 2024 by The Italian Constitutional Court
The imprisonment of a civilian ship that saved 261 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea in 2024 was the subject of a hearing convened by the Italian Constitutional Court in Rome on Wednesday morning.
The Ocean Viking recovery ship, operated by the European nonprofit organisation SOS Mediterranée, was arrested for failing to leave the scene of a rescue in February 2024 as directed by the Libyan Coast Guard. In three separate rescues, SOS Mediterranée rescued 261 persons in danger.
The humanitarian group said that the first boat, carrying 110 people, was on the verge of disintegrating, the second had gasoline spilt on board, and the third was absorbing water and tilting dangerously to one side. The Libyan coast guard told the Ocean Viking crew to evacuate the rescue area even though the lives of the individuals on board the three boats were in danger.
After docking in the Italian port of Brindisi, SOS Mediterranée’s ship was fined 3,300 euros and placed under a 20-day detention order. SOS Mediterranée filed an appeal, arguing that Libya is not a secure place and that it was their responsibility to save the people in need.
In the course of the subsequent trial, a Brindisi judge brought the matter before the Constitutional Court. The court’s ruling will significantly impact Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Italian government’s anti-immigration agenda.
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