The rescue ship 'Geo Barents' prepares to set sail again after 20 days of blockade by Italy

April 12 () –

This Friday, the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) launched preparations to put the rescue ship 'Geo Barents' back into operation after 20 days of administrative blockade by the Italian authorities, who accused the vessel of “disobedience.” ” and carry out “dangerous maneuvers” in the Mediterranean.

“The obstruction and harassment of search and rescue NGOs by the Italian authorities does not prevent people from crossing the Mediterranean,” the organization warned in a message posted on its X account.

“This makes it more dangerous,” he noted before clarifying that the blockade imposed last March represented an “unjust detention.” Juan Matías Gil, MSF search and rescue representative, then stated that Italy's actions were “outrageous” and “endangered the lives of people” who were on board the ship.

For Gil, the arrest was “the latest example of the hypocrisy of the European Union and its member states, which do everything in their power to punish those who participate in search and rescue activities, while being complicit in the violent thousands of people are returned to Libya every year.

It was the 20th time that a humanitarian search and rescue vessel was detained since the entry into force in early 2023 of a new Italian law that persecutes and hinders the search and rescue activities of NGOs at sea.

MSF has repeatedly called on the Italian authorities to immediately stop “hindering NGO assistance to save lives at sea” and has urged the EU to end “all material and financial support to the Libyan Coast Guard.” and to authorities who have a history of human rights violations”.