Human Rights | The Observer: British coastguard ignored calls for help

Britain’s the coast guard left even hundreds of migrants to their own devices and did not respond to calls for help. It will work out The Observer magazine and investigative journalism Liberty Investigates from the report made by the group.

The coastguard did not respond to reports that 19 vessels needed assistance in British territorial waters. About 440 people were on board the ships.

According to experts, the Coast Guard may have violated international law by ignoring calls for help.

The incidents happened on four different days last November. Based on the documents, it appears that the Coast Guard suffered from both employee and resource shortages during that time. In the tragedy that happened on November 24, 27 people drowned in the English Channel, including pregnant women and children.

“No government that cares about human rights would allow staff numbers to fall so low that it puts lives at risk,” said the general secretary of the union representing Coast Guard workers. Mark Serwotka.

Coast Guard procedures include that all ships carrying migrants are classified as in need of assistance. This means that the ships must be found and the people rescued. However, the documents reveal that, for example, the ships reported on November 3 were not contacted, and the safety of the people was not ensured.

A Coast Guard spokeswoman declined to comment on the incident, citing an ongoing investigation. The authority responsible for maritime laws also did not comment on what happened to those who needed help in the end.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised that illegal channel crossings will be stopped. Last year alone, more than 45,000 people crossed the channel illegally. Last month, the British government introduced a law that practically prohibits those arriving in the country illegally from applying for asylum.