Stranded migrant rescue ship seeks human rights court emergency ruling against Italy

Sea Watch 3 has turned to the European Court of Human Rights for an emergency decree asking Italy to allow the disembarkation of migrants stranded on the ship since 12 June

42 migrants rescued by Sea Watch 3 after escaping from Libya, remain stranded off Lampedusa after the Italian authorities refused the ship entry (Photo: Sea Watch 3/Twitter)
42 migrants rescued by Sea Watch 3 after escaping from Libya, remain stranded off Lampedusa after the Italian authorities refused the ship entry (Photo: Sea Watch 3/Twitter)

Sea Watch 3 has asked the human rights court in Strasbourg to take interim measures and ask Italy to allow the disembarkation of migrants stranded on the ship since 12 June.

The ship has been stranded just outside Italian territorial waters off Lampedusa after authorities refused it entry.

The ship which is registered in Netherlands, belongs to a German rescue NGO. It had rescued the migrants off the Libyan coast but refused to disembark them in Tripoli, insisting it would violate international law protecting refugees.

Sea Watch 3 has been circling an area just outside Italian territorial waters off Lampedusa (Photo: Sea Watch 3/Twitter)
Sea Watch 3 has been circling an area just outside Italian territorial waters off Lampedusa (Photo: Sea Watch 3/Twitter)

Italy has refused the ship entry and deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has warned that if the ship enters Italian ports, its captain will be fined and the ship confiscated.

Sea Watch 3 has now turned to the European Court of Human Rights seeking an emergency decree to get Italy to allow the disembarkation of 43 migrants aboard the ship.

A decree could be expected later on today.

The Strasbourg court has nothing to do with the EU but all EU countries are members of the Council of Europe and the human rights convention.