Migrant rescue vessel Alan Kurdi claims food shortage aboard stranded ship

Sea-Eye spokesperson Carlotta Weibl made a statement in Rome on the current situation of migrant rescue ship Alan Kurdi

The NGO vessel was named after Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee whose body washed up on a Turkish shore in 2015, sparking global outrage
The NGO vessel was named after Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian Kurdish refugee whose body washed up on a Turkish shore in 2015, sparking global outrage

The NGO vessel Alan Kurdi is carrying 64 people it rescued last Wednesday and is still stranded in international waters outside Malta, with its crew warning that food shortages and bad weather are taking their toll.

Sea-Eye have released a video on Twitter and a statement made by spokesperson Carlotta Weibl, outlining the situation on the migrant rescue vessel. The video released publicised testimonies made by migrants who said that Libya was corrupt and cruel, reminiscing how they were tortured, raped and sold as slaves. 

"On 3 April, we rescued 64 persons from a rubber boat in international waters off Libya. As the Libyan coast guard seems to be out of service and the resuce coordination centre in Tripoli was not responding to emails or phone calls from Sea-Eye a port of safety was requested from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCC) in Rome and Valletta," Weibl said. 

She was making an official statement in Rome. Weibl insisted that upon returning to Libya, the migrants would be tortured, raped, and killed. She mentioned how there is no asylum procedure in place and no protection of their human rights, saying that with an impending civil war, asylum was only possible north of the war-torn nation. 

Alan Kurdi approached the nearest safe port, which was Lampedusa at the time. However, their ports were not opened to the rescue vessel, Weibl explained, as she quotes from an email Sea-Eye received from the MRCC in Rome saying the vessel could possibly be a "a threat to the peace, good order or security of the coastal state."

An email received by Sea-Eye from the Italiam MRCC
An email received by Sea-Eye from the Italiam MRCC

Two days later, however, Sea-Eye received an email from the Italian MRCC, calling for "calm and order" as they prepare for the disembarkation of four people: two children to be taken by Germany, and two women to be taken by Italy for "humanitarian reasons."

Weibl said, however, that this was far from humanitarian as the patrol boats that came to Alan Kurdi, taking people away, had violated the principle of family unity enshrined in article 16 of the European Human Rights Convention. 

"We strongly denounce this approach and demand Italy to apply the same human rights to refugees and migrants as to European citizens. As sea, there is no migrant, banker or plumber; these are only people," Weibl said. 

She thanked the space provided by Rome for her to deliver the statement on behalf of the NGO Sea-Eye and urged for a stronger fight for human rights as the situation on the Kurdi deteriorates.