Rescue Ship Says Libyan Coast Guard Put Its Crew in Danger
The Libyan coast guard has been accused of dangerous maneuvers in intercepting a migrant boat at sea. A boat operated by the charity Sea-Watch was attempting to pick up the migrants when the coast guard intervened.
A spokesman for Sea-Watch said the NGO boat was standing by after receiving a signal from Italy’s coastguard that Libyan authorities would take over.
“Without any warning, they crossed our bow on the way to the migrant boat,” Sea-Watch’s Ruben Neugebauer said. “They made an extremely dangerous maneuver. They nearly hit our boat, they endangered our crew.”
Ayoub Qassem, a spokesman for the Libyan coast guard, said the NGO boat had interfered during the incident 19 miles (30km) offshore.
“An international rescue organization called Sea-Watch tried to hinder the work of our coast guard … in a bid to take the migrants, claiming Libya is not safe for migrants,” he said.
The E.U. has undertaken to train the Libyan coast guard, and Italy is supplying new vessels as part of a scheme to reduce sea crossings. This plan clashes with existing humanitarian operations off the coast of Libya. A number of non-governmental rescue ships currently patrol outside Libya’s territorial waters, picking up migrant boats and taking them to Europe.
Visegrad Countries Fight Asylum Seeker Quotas in Top E.U. Court
Poland was the only country to back Hungary and Slovakia in a battle over refugee quotas at the E.U.’s highest court.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) will rule on the legality of quotas for asylum seekers to be shared out among members of the bloc.
The quota system, agreed by E.U. majority vote, is being challenged by Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orban, and Robert Fico of Slovakia. They have attacked the scheme as a heavy-handed rule from Brussels.
“One of the main arguments is the incorrect legal basis,” said Krisztian Kecsmar, an official from the Hungarian justice ministry. “It is a matter of institutional equilibrium, what role the institutions play in decision-making.”
The Visegrad countries – Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – are accused of undermining European solidarity by challenging the scheme agreed in 2015 to disperse 160,000 asylum seekers.
As well as the E.U.’s executive – the European Commission – the E.U. member states of Germany, France, Sweden, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and Greece also argued against the critics of the Central and Eastern European quota.
“The answer you will give to this question will have significance that goes way beyond this case,” German representative Ralf Kanitz told the court.
An opinion from the ECJ’s tribunal general in late July is expected to intimate how the court will rule.
Trump Travel Bans Thwarted, But Refugee Entries to U.S. at Six-Year Low
While President Donald Trump’s travel bans have been thrown out by U.S. courts, refugee entries have slowed. In the past two months, refugee resettlements have dipped to a six-year low.
Trump’s presidency opened with the planned number of resettlements slashed from 110,000 to 50,000. This contraction, rather than the failed travel ban, explains the lower number of refugee entries.
The State Department has had to tightly rein in monthly arrivals since the new cap. Many refugee families who have faced years of waiting and vetting to enter the U.S. found their travel papers had expired due to the new slow pace. They now face limbo or restarting the entire process under new rules.
Recommended Reads:
- The Guardian: ‘They Call Him the Millionaire’: The Refugee Who Turned His Camp Into a Business Empire
- IRIN: Women Refugees at Risk of Sexual Assault in Berlin Shelters
- Voice of America: Myanmar Refugees in Thai Camps Face Repatriation Challenges
- Liberal Democrat Voice: Tim Farron Announces Plan to Take 50,000 Syrian Refugees