Doha: The European Court of Human Rights today rejected a lawsuit accusing Italy of illegally pushing back migrant boats off the Libyan coast, following an incident in which migrants, including children, lost their lives in 2017. The court described the lawsuit as "inadmissible," explaining that it alleged "proxy refoulement" by Italy's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre.
According to Qatar News Agency, the court stated that Italian authorities did not illegally delegate the Libyan coast guard to return the migrants after their boat encountered difficulties. The complainants had argued that the centre exposed them to the risk of mistreatment and death by allowing a Libyan vessel to take control of the rescue operation.
The ruling noted that the Italian coast guard had indicated the need for ships in the area to conduct the rescue and had notified the Libyan authorities, since the migrant boat was in a zone under Libyan responsibility. The case related to a sea rescue operation involving an inflatable boat carrying around 150 people who had departed Libya overnight in November 2017 aiming to reach Europe. The charity vessel Sea-Watch 3 eventually reached the scene and rescued the migrants.