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Rescue ship destroyed and in danger of sinking due to neglection by Italian authorities

The Berlin based rescue organization "Jugend rettet" has reported the Italian authorities because they are supposed to have let the "Iuventa" unguarded after she was confiscated in 2017 in the port of Trapani. After four years, it was taken from the security area of ​​the port to a free accessible berth. Since then, people have temporarily lived on the ship, damaged it and looted it. In the meantime, the "Iuventa" has been largely destroyed and is in danger of sinking. The organization accuses the port authority in Trapani of having to ensure that the ship was effectively guarded. Members of "Jugend rettet" have been charged in Italy with allegations of cooperation with human trafficing. They rejected the allegations and see the procedure as an attempt to block the rescue of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean. According to the crew, the "Iuventa" helped more than 14,000 people. Under the new Italian government, the regulations for rescue operations have been tightened again. REport with photos: https://www.pressenza.com/2023/02/iuventa-ship-destroyed-in-italian-custody-crew-files-criminal-complaint/

Court in Sicilyto decide whether to go ahead with a case against crew members of the 'Iuventa'

A court in Sicily is set to decide whether to go ahead with a case against four crew members of the 'Iuventa'. The four German activists and 17 others are accused of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. It is the one of the longest-running and most controversial cases in which activists have faced criminal charges for their involvement in migrant rescues at sea. Five years after the start of investigations, four German crew members of the ship, Kathrin Schmidt, Dariush Beigui, Sascha Girke and Uli Tröder, will find out on Saturday (May 21) whether they will face trial. 17 other people who were working for the NGOs Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), as well as an Italian shipping company, have also been summonsed. The four 'Iuventa' crew members said that they were involved in rescuing thousands of migrants from the Mediterranean from 2016 to 2017, when the 'Iuventa' was seized by authorities. The prosecution alleges that the crew was not acting to prevent deaths at sea, but accuses them of aiding and abetting in the commission of a crime of illegal immigration. They each face up to 20 years in prison and large fines if convicted. The 'Iuventa' was confiscated in August 2017 by Italian authorities and escorted to Lampedusa. It was later transferred to Trapani, where the indictment was issued. In November 2019 the non-profit European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), lodged a complaint with the United nations, asking the Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor to intervene in the situation in Italy. Lawlor issued a statement in 2020 supporting the 'Iuventa' crew members and the former captain of the rescue ship 'Sea-Watch-3'. Carola Rackete, who was arrested in June 2019 for docking her ship, with 53 migrants on board, without permission. Lawlor said she regretted that the activists continued "to face stigmatization in connection with …protecting the human rights of migrants and asylum seekers at risk in the Mediterranean Sea. They are human right defenders and not criminals". The criminal case against Rackete was shelved in December 2021.

Rescue ship stays arrested

Italy’s highest court has rejected a request by a German group to release the "Iuventa" which was seized eight months ago by prosecutors investigating allegations that non-governmental organizations colluded with migrant smugglers. The German group, Jugend Rettet, said on Apr 24, 2018, that it was devastated by the Cassation Court’s ruling and will fight for the right to rescue people in danger at sea. Doctors Without Borders said the ruling sends a working signal (that) Europe will continue to criminalize humanitarian organizations conducting search-and-rescue operations … rather than strengthening capacities to save lives at sea. Prosecutors told the court that the "Iuventa" was seized based on three episodes in which crew members had contact with migrant smugglers. The group’s spokesman, Philipp Kulker, said in Berlin that the evidence had been fabricated.