ROME: Six members of an Italian charity which rescues migrants in the Mediterranean went on trial in Sicily on Tuesday, accused of aiding illegal immigration.
The case centers around the Mare Jonio, a ship operated by Mediterranea Saving Humans (MSH), which took 27 migrants off a giant tanker in 2020 and brought them to Italy.
The migrants had been stranded on the Danish tanker Maersk Etienne for over a month, with both Italy and Malta refusing to accept them.
The defendants include charity’s co-founder Luca Casarini, the ship’s captain and three crew members, including a doctor.
Prosecutors allege the rescue was financially motivated, pointing to a 125,000-euro ($145,000) payment from Maersk to MSH months after the event.
Maersk said in a statement in 2021 that the money had been intended to “cover some of the costs” the rescue charity endured.
“At no point” was financial compensation discussed during the operation, it stressed.
Maersk also praised MSH for coming to the rescue, saying the tanker’s repeated calls for assistance had been ignored by authorities and the situation on board had become “dire from a humanitarian point of view.”
MSH describes the payment as a “transparent donation.”
The defense team says the trial in Ragusa is the first of its kind in Italy.
Previous attempts to prosecute crew members of rescue vessels have all petered out either before or during preliminary hearings.
Defense lawyer Fabio Lanfranca told AFP the team raised a series of technical objections at the first hearing on Tuesday.
These mainly concerned the use of wiretaps of conversations involving “lawyers, journalists, bishops and even members of parliament.”
Fellow lawyer Serena Romano said they also questioned whether providing medical assistance could be defined as criminal.
The next hearing was set for January 13.
The hard-right government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni took office in 2022, vowing to cut the number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe.
It has repeatedly clashed with rescue charities.
Despite admitting that charity rescue boats pick up only a small minority of arrivals, Rome has characterised them as a “pull factor” and has passed laws which work to reduce the time they spend at sea.
Trial opens for Italian migrant rescuers, a legal first
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Trial opens for Italian migrant rescuers, a legal first
- The case centers around the Mare Jonio, a ship operated by Mediterranea Saving Humans (MSH)
- Prosecutors allege the rescue was financially motivated, pointing to a $145,000 payment from Maersk to MSH
Pakistan, Afghanistan exchange heavy fire along border, officials say
- Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province
- “Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” Zaidi said
KABUL: Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their border late on Friday, officials from both countries said, amid heightened tensions following failed peace talks earlier this week.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces launched attacks in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar province. A spokesman for Pakistan’s Prime Minister accused Afghan forces of “unprovoked firing” along the Chaman border.
“Pakistan remains fully alert and committed to ensuring its territorial integrity and the safety of our citizens,” spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi said in a statement.
The exchange came two days after a new round of peace talks between the South Asian neighbors
ended without a breakthrough, though both sides agreed to continue their fragile ceasefire.
The talks in Saudi Arabia last weekend were the latest in a series of meetings hosted by Qatar, Turkiye and Saudi Arabia aimed at cooling tensions following deadly border clashes in October.
At the heart of the dispute, Islamabad says Afghan-based militants have carried out recent attacks in Pakistan, including suicide bombings involving Afghan nationals. Kabul denies the charge, saying it cannot be held responsible for security inside Pakistan.
Dozens were killed in October’s clashes, the worst violence on the border since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021.
