“Returning migrants to Libyans is a crime”. The first sentence of conviction
From the court of Naples comes a sentence destined to make jurisprupence. Return i migrants the Libyan coast guard is a crime. It is the first time – we read in Avvenire – that a verdict of this magnitude has been reached in Europe and which, in fact, confirms that Libya cannot be recognized as a safe landing place. The judge sentenced the captain of the Asso28 ship to one year in prison because after rescuing 101 migrants, including several minors and some pregnant women, he agreed to deliver them to Tripoli.
From now on – continues Avvenire – any civilian ship involved in rejections risks a trial and a conviction. The reading of the reasons for the sentence, which as usual will be filed within three months, will clarify what convinced the court to hold the commander guilty of having abandoned the migrants who had also helped the authorities of a country that the United Nations does not recognize as “Safe landing place”. Both the captain and the representative of the shipping company were acquitted of the charge of abuse of office.