In the night between Saturday the 9th and Sunday the 10th of June, the rescue vessel Aquarius, operated by Médecins Sans Frontières and SOS Méditerranée, welcomed on board 629 migrants who had been rescued in six different relief operations. According to the Aquarius staff, among them there are 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 children and 7 pregnant women.
We are shocked to hear that the Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini has decided to deny the docking permission at an Italian port to Aquarius, even though rescue operations have been coordinated so far by the Italian Coast Guard. As pointed out by UNHCR, this situation can put at risk the wellbeing of hundreds of people in urgent need of assistance.
We firmly express our solidarity to migrants and NGO’s colleagues. Migrants are the first victims of political decisions which hinder the right to a safe disembarkation and to medical treatment in appropriate facilities.
We hope that our Government’s representatives could re-examine their position and take all necessary measures to protect human lives at risk.
Photo credits: Giovanni Diffidenti