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The Sea-Watch 4 humanitarian vessel is held under an administrative blockade in Italy.
The German NGO Sea-Watch on Friday filed an appeal at the Palermo Administrative Court against the blockade of the Sea-Watch 4, a humanitarian vessel which has been detained in port since September.
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On August 15, this humanitarian rescue ship, which is owned by Sea-Watch and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), set sail from Spain to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.
Eleven days after carrying out its first rescue operation, Italy allowed the vessel to approach the port of Palermo to transfer 353 rescued people to a ferry. On Sep. 20, however, the Italian authorities immobilized the humanitarian ship in port after conducting an inspection.
"Under the pretext of security, the rescue of people is deliberately prevented with flimsy justifications. We must not get used to rescue ships being illegally blocked and Europe letting people drown as a deterrent," Sea-Watch Chairman Johannes Bayer said.
��The Central Mediterranean has been emptied of rescue boats.
— Sami Al-Subaihi (@SamiAlsubaihi) October 17, 2020
Even as we hear the news of fatal shipwrecks, Sea-Watch 4 and our @MSF team on board remains trapped in the port of Palermo, unable to resume lifesaving operations. #ReleaseSeaWatch4 #Le… pic.twitter.com/pBPnZBX1HC
"Those who fight for human rights must do so at all levels. This is why we filed an appeal against the arbitrary blockade of Sea-Watch 4. We are not only morally right; our ships are safe and ready to rescue," he added.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian tragedy in the Mediterranean continues without the European Union (EU) countries offering lasting solutions for the management of migratory flows.
“States must finally fulfill their duty to rescue instead of imposing arbitrariness and harassment against civil sea rescue organizations in EU agreements,” the German NGO stressed.
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