An Italian court in Trapani has dismissed a case against rescue ship crews from three humanitarian organizations, clearing them of charges of collaborating with smugglers while rescuing migrants at sea. The judges decided not to proceed to trial against 10 crew members involved in the case, known as the Iuventa case, after prosecutors recommended dismissing all charges.
The crew members from German nonprofit Jugend Rettet, Save The Children, and Doctors Without Borders were acquitted of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The case, initiated in 2017, accused the crew of acting as 'taxis' for migrants and collaborating with human traffickers off the coast of Libya.
Italian prosecutors alleged that the crews coordinated search-and-rescue actions with smugglers and returned dinghies and boats to be reused, while rescuing migrants whose lives were not in immediate danger. The Interior Ministry of Italy had joined the lawsuit as a plaintiff.
The court's decision was welcomed by the organizations, which had criticized the case for criminalizing their humanitarian efforts in the Mediterranean. The crew members expressed relief at the recognition of the truth and stated that the case had initiated a smear campaign against civil sea rescue.
Jugend Rettet highlighted that its rescue ship had assisted over 14,000 people in distress before its seizure in 2017. Doctors Without Borders emphasized the false accusations and criminalization campaign faced by organizations conducting search and rescue operations at sea.
The Italian authorities began focusing on the issue in 2016 amid a surge in migrants reaching the country's coasts. The current right-wing government has implemented stricter measures against migrant rescues, limiting ships to one rescue at a time and mandating docking at assigned ports, measures criticized by charities for impeding rescue efforts.
