AYS Daily Digest 18/7/19 Carola Rackete’s Interrogation on Thursday
New arrivals in Greece// Demands for closures of Libyan dentention centre// Cyber attack on sea rescue NGO// Items needed in Italy…
Sea Watch 3: Carola
Carola remains under investigation and faces up to 15 years in prison. OHCHR continues to express concern over her trial and the larger effect on the public perception of sea rescue.
“This prosecution could have a chilling effect on migrant rights defenders and on civil society as a whole” — Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders
This can already be seen in the mistreatment and disrespect towards the judge who released Carola from house arrest.
“Ideological political accusations made against a judge by authorities of the executive simply for fulfilling a well-established norm of public international law establishing a duty to rescue persons in distress at sea constitute a serious breach of the principles of judicial independence and the separation of powers.
The duty to respect and abide by the judgments and decisions of the judiciary constitutes a necessary corollary of the principle of separation of powers,” — Diego García-Sayán, the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
In commenting on her interrogation on Thursday, Sea Watch tweeted:
“Our Captian is serene and will explain to investigators how she has fulfilled her duty to rescue those found at sea and (was) left to it by the whole of Europe.”
Libya
MSF, like others continues to note that the Tajoura detention center cannot remotely constitute a humane living situation due to the violence and complete disregard of human rights through Libya’s lawlessness.
After the horrific airstrike on 2 July, it’s estimated that 60 people were killed and 70 people were injured. Doctors described the scene with bodies everywhere, “and body parts sticking out from under the rubble.” It was a scene that must have haunted the 90 people who were intercepted in the Mediterranean last week, and forced to return to Tajoura.
MSF reiterates that the cycle of violence to people living in Libyan detention centers doesn’t just need condemnation, it needs action. Europe needs to stop supporting and working alongside Libya.
Sea
Mediterranea Saving Humans warns of a recent cyber attack their campaign experienced on their website:
“The IPs of the computers from which the cyber attack started which, on 9 July, sabotaged our site for more than two hours were all from the Moscow area. This act of piracy and the many reports, which started within a few minutes, which suspended the fundraising promoted via Facebook for a week, show the existence of an organized network, with considerable resources and probably coverage by institutional apparatus, which intervenes on command to strike solidarity and rescue operations at sea on the Internet.”
They are currently back online. If there was ever a time to support sea rescue, it’s now.
Greece
Aegean Boat Report: a total of 93 people on three boats arrived on Lesvos on Thursday.
First boat → 33 people (No breakdown available)
Second boat → 43 people (No breakdown available)
Third boat → 17 people (five children, five women, and seven men)
Italy
Baobab Experience is collecting the items listed below (find translatable link here) Saturday 20 July, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, in via Della Marsica, 15 Rome.
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