Germany’s Sea-Watch rescue boat to resume migrant missions in the Mediterranean

German charity Sea-Watch EV announced it would return as soon as it could to the area north of the Libyan coast to help migrants at sea after winning an Italian legal battle.

In a statement, the non-profit sea rescue group cited a civil court decision that there had been no legal basis found to continue to detain Sea-Watch at the Sicilian port of Licata.

“Sea-Watch and other civil rescuers are the only ones upholding the law, which was proven again today,” said Sea-Watch Chairman Johannes Bayer. “We look forward to leaving, and potentially returning to, Italy’s ports without further complication or aggression.”

Sea-Watch defended its rescue missions as lawful, saying it had been subject to “criminalization, intimidation and blockade.”

Two other charity rescue boats, Alex and the Mare Jonio, which are run by the nonprofit, Mediterranea, are still detained at Licata. They were seized by Italian authorities in July and September, respectively.

Read more via DW

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