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Italian authorities prevented 35 migrants they did not deem vulnerable from getting off a boat in Sicily on Sunday as Italy’s far-right-led government takes a hard line against privately operated maritime rescue ships in Italian waters.
The impact of a directive ushered in by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi became clearer overnight. The Humanity 1, carrying 179 rescued passengers, was given access to the Sicilian port, but three other rescue boats run by non-governmental organizations and carrying 900 more people remained at sea.
The NGOs reported people sleeping on floors and decks, the spread of fever-inducing infections and scabies, and food and medical supplies nearing depletion. Some migrants have been on the ships for more than two weeks.
Officials at the German-run charity SOS Humanity, which operates the Humanity 1, challenged Italy’s decision to distinguish passengers considered “vulnerable” or not. All the ship’s passengers were rescued at sea, and that alone qualified them for a safe port under international law, the organization said.
“As we feared, not everyone was allowed to disembark,’’ SOS Humanity spokesperson Wasil Schauseil said Sunday.
“Our doctor was asked to make a selection of the people who are in a bad medical condition, and the doctor replied everyone is in a vulnerable situation, so she would not make the selection,’’ Schauseil said.
