UN Sounds Alarm After Italy Raises Penalties for Migrant Rescuers
The UN Refugee Agency on Tuesday criticized Italy for introducing harsher penalties for charities saving migrants at sea, saying their services became invaluable after EU rescue operations all but stopped
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th August, 2019) The UN Refugee Agency on Tuesday criticized Italy for introducing harsher penalties for charities saving migrants at sea, saying their services became invaluable after EU rescue operations all but stopped.
The upper house of the Italian parliament voted overwhelmingly on Monday to punish owners of ships bringing migrants to Italy with fines of up to $1.1 million. The bill, which also allows for the ships to be impounded, has been passed by the lower house and needs the president's approval to become law.
"NGOs play an invaluable role in saving the lives of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Europe.
The commitment and humanity that motivates their activities should not be criminalized or stigmatized," Charlie Yaxley, a spokesman for the UN agency, said.
The United Nations also argued that charities and commercial ships that pick up migrants in the Mediterranean should not be forced to bring them back to Libya, a North African country suffering from years of turmoil. Instead, it argued, EU nations should finally agree on how to share out those rescued.