Three initiatives engaged in challenging the inhumanities of the EU‘s approach towards asylum seekers at sea recently launched the report “Remote Control: the EU-Libya collaboration in mass interceptions of migrants in the Central Mediterranean”. The report, which was published by Alarm Phone, borderline-europe, Mediterranea and Sea-Watch, bears witness to the systematic violation of international and human rights laws that are in place to protect people forced to flee their countries and seek safety.
According to the report, the EU aerial assets in the Mediterranean deployed to detect migrant boats from the air and guide the so-called Libyan Coast Guard to the locations of escaping boats has led to the interception of tens of thousands of people and their return to the Libyan war zone.
Already in 2018, a group of 29 international law academics released a public statement which called on the UN Security Council to address Italy’s role in illegal pushbacks to Libya. The group also appealed to the International Criminal Court to investigate Italian authorities’ complicity in crimes against humanity by collaborating with the Libyan Coast Guard (LCG) – which has a well-documented track record of abuse.
Up until now, no interventions into these inhumane practices have been issued. UAI is calling on citizens everywhere to bring this inhumanity to an end!
