For the first time, the European Court of Human Rights will examine a state’s failure to hand over a suspect wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). A sub-Saharan survivor of torture in Libya has filed an application against Italy…
Reflections on the future of European Court of Justice rulings in light of the entry into force of the European Pact on Migration The European Pact on Migration and Asylum is set to enter into force in June 2026, yet…
Italian Court subsequently drops all charges against Congolese woman The European Union’s highest court has set out important restraints to States’ anti-smuggling laws, which wrongly criminalize people on the move and those in solidarity with them. On 3 June 2025,…
SOS Méditerranée, Press release, 9th of July 2025 On the 8th of July 2025, the Italian Constitutional Court dismissed the legal challenge to the Piantedosi Decree, but in doing so, it reaffirmed a vital principle: national measures must comply with…
In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) condemned Italy for rescuing persons in distress and transshipping them to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, whereas Libya cannot be defined as a place of safety (Hirsi Jamaa and others…
Migrants and Refugees in Distress in the Mediterranean Sea On 4 March 2025, in an unprecedented decision, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee (or the Committee) requested Malta to urgently take all necessary measures to coordinate a search and…
In 2021, during an attempt to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy, Adam and 170 other migrants were pushed back to Libya. This pushback was carried out by the cargo ship Vos Triton (flying the Gibraltar flag) and by Libyan…
After three years of proceedings, involving 24 hearings and the testimony of 45 witnesses, the trial of Matteo Salvini in Palermo, for his role in the Open Arms case, reached its conclusion on December 20. The sentencing took place at…
Libyan Authorities Cannot Perform Rescue Operations On June 27, 2024, the civil court in Crotone ruled that the detention of the rescue ship Humanity 1 operated by the NGO SOS Humanity was unlawful. The Humanity 1, had been detained by…
For the first time, after more than 20 years without being amended, European laws criminalising the “facilitation of unauthorised migration” are probably about to be changed. What we do not yet know is in which direction. While activists for the…
On the illegitimacy of the NGO ships’ seizures The criminalization of civil relief in Italy is by no means new. Since 2017, it has been carried out by successive governments of all orientations, through a multiplicity of instruments. From media…
Francesca Bocchini, EMERGENCY On 6 November 2023, the Italian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Albania to enhance bilateral cooperation on migration matters. Albania has committed to devote areas of its own territory to the establishment of facilities fully…
