An Italian court has ordered six members of the NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans to stand trial over a 2020 rescue operation involving 27 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean. This is the first time a criminal case against a sea rescue crew has moved to trial in Italy, according to the group’s legal representatives.
In August 2020, the Danish product tanker Maersk Etienne rescued 27 people from a wooden boat about 70 nautical miles north of Libya, following instructions from Maltese rescue authorities. The migrants had been attempting to reach Europe but were stranded when their vessel began sinking.
Despite rescuing them, the Maersk Etienne was not granted permission by Malta, Italy, or Libya to let the migrants disembark. As a result, the rescued individuals remained aboard the tanker for 38 days without access to proper care or facilities. Maersk Etienne’s operator, Maersk Tankers, said the ship was not equipped to host that many people and urgently required assistance.
Mediterranea’s ship Mare Jonio, a 1972-built tugboat, was dispatched to provide help. The vessel included a doctor on board to offer basic medical attention. The migrants were transferred from the tanker to Mare Jonio and then taken to Pozzallo, a port on the island of Sicily.
Italian prosecutors in Ragusa later accused six members of the NGO, including five men and one woman, of aiding illegal immigration. Those named in the case include the Mare Jonio’s captain, a crew doctor, and Luca Casarini, one of the group’s founders and a well-known left-wing activist. They all say they were helping people in need and did nothing wrong.
One of the main accusations from prosecutors involves a payment of €125,000 (around $140,000) made by Maersk Tankers to Idra Social Shipping, the company that owns Mare Jonio, a few months after the rescue. Authorities suggest this was a financial transaction linked to the migrants’ transfer. However, Mediterranea says the payment was a transparent donation meant to cover operational costs.
Lawyer Serena Romano, speaking on behalf of the NGO, said that no previous case against rescue crews in Italy had ever reached trial. She stated that similar investigations had either been closed during the inquiry or dropped at the pre-trial stage.
The court in Ragusa has scheduled the first hearing for October 21. Casarini said the trial would serve as an opportunity to examine the decisions made by authorities during the 38-day standoff. According to him, those responsible for leaving 27 people at sea without help should also be questioned.
Italy’s current government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni since 2022, has taken a tough stance on sea migration. Her administration introduced stricter controls on how and where NGO rescue ships can dock. NGOs have reported that they are being forced to sail to distant ports and subjected to regular inspections, which they believe are efforts to disrupt their missions.
Even though the case happened before Meloni became Prime Minister, it shows how pressure on rescue groups is increasing. Some people in her government say the courts are stopping their efforts to control migration, like when judges blocked plans to hold migrants in places like Albania.
Additionally, reports have emerged this year that several Mediterranea members, including Casarini, were targeted with spyware. While the government has denied any involvement, it has called for a formal investigation into the surveillance claims.
Despite legal and political challenges, Mediterranea continues its search and rescue missions. The Mare Jonio was held after the 2020 rescue and wasn’t allowed to return to sea until June 2021. Since then, the NGO says it has carried out numerous operations.
Mediterranea has partnered with the German NGO Sea-Eye. Together, they will operate a larger ship, the Sea-Eye 4, which has been renamed Mediterranea. The new ship, with a size of 931 gross tons, is much larger than the Mare Jonio and will help the group carry out more sea rescues.
