A prominent human rights group on Tuesday expressed concerns over Malta's unlawful pushback operations against migrants seeking to cross into the European Union from Libya via the Mediterranean Sea, urging the country to respect and protect the rights of refugees
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th September, 2020) A prominent human rights group on Tuesday expressed concerns over Malta's unlawful pushback operations against migrants seeking to cross into the European Union from Libya via the Mediterranean Sea, urging the country to respect and protect the rights of refugees.
"Malta is stooping to ever more despicable and illegal tactics to shirk their responsibilities to people in need. Shamefully, the EU and Italy have normalized cooperation with Libya on border control, but sending people back to danger in Libya is anything but normal. EU member states must stop assisting in the return of people to a country where they face unspeakable horrors," Elisa De Pieri, the regional researcher at Amnesty International said, as cited in the press release.
According to the rights group, the Maltese authorities are engaged in criminal actions that result in deaths among migrants and illegal returns to war-torn Libya.
"People are ... arbitrarily detained in places where torture and other ill-treatment is highly likely. From the beginning of January to 27 August 2020 7,256 people were 'pulled back' to Libya by the EU-supported Libyan Coast Guard, which was often alerted of the presence of boats at sea by airplanes engaged in Frontex and other EU operations," Amnesty International's statement read.
On November 10, 2019, Malta and Libya concluded a secret agreement, according to which the authorities of the two countries can intercept migrants heading to Malta and return them to the North African country.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 12,010 sea arrivals have been registered in Italy, and a further 1,838 on the island nation of Malta, since the start of the year.
Libya serves as a transit point for thousands of migrants who attempt to reach Europe via the Mediterranean Sea. The journey is extremely perilous and often results in the deaths of those who try to cross the sea. A number of international charities have been organizing sea rescue missions in the region.
