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…
By the Civil MRCC legal team On 29 December 2023, a group of civil society organizations – Associazione Studi Giuridici per l’Immigrazione (Asgi), Comitato Nuovi Desaparecidos, Open Arms, Progetto Diritti, Sea Watch, Mediterranea Saving Humans, Jl Project e WatchTheMed Alarm…
A new way of “managing” arrivals and the violation of refugee rights at the southern EU border A few days after the Cutro massacre, the Italian government gathered all its ministers in the Calabrian village for an “extraordinary” council of…
The 10-point action plan to “stop sea arrivals” By Chiara Denaro During a visit to the island of Lampedusa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to address the surge in migrant…
By Sarita Fratini On June 10th, a Sudanese refugee, victim of the illegal refoulement from Asso Ventinove merchant vessel on the 1st and 2nd of July 2018, won the case brought against part of the Italian government (Council of Ministers,…
Is the conduct of the captain of a private ship bringing rescued migrants back to Libya criminally relevant? The case at hand is exemplary and unique. For the first time in fact, the captain of an Italian merchant vessel, the…
Reflections on the selective disembarkation strategy in light of the Catania Civil Court decision in the case of the Humanity 1. A few weeks after its election, the new far-right Italian government led by Giorgia Meloni started (again) to target…
A step toward state accountability for border violence and death at sea On December 2, 2022, there was the last hearing of the criminal trial for the so-called “children shipwreck”, which occurred on 11 October 2013*. For this event, in…
