Tim McNulty
A STAND-off involving authorities in Spain and an NGO rescue ship has left more than a hundred migrants, including babies, stranded at sea in searing temperatures.
A week after they were rescued from the Mediterranean, the 121 people, including 30 children and two babies remain aboard the overcrowded vessel.
The Proactiva Open Arms NGO ship, sailing under a Spanish flag, has remained 30 nautical miles off the coast of Italy.
“After a week stranded at sea in blistering heat, these women, men and children who have risked their lives to escape human rights abuses in Libya should be immediately disembarked either in Malta or Italy,” said Maria Serrano, Amnesty International’s Senior Researcher on Migration.
Spanish authorities have yet to formally request help from European institutions to mediate a solution.
Serrano added: “Despite mounting concerns for the well-being of those on board, politicians are shamelessly breaching their responsibilities under international law by refusing to grant a safe port to people who could face torture if returned to Libya and who are exhausted and in need of protection and care.”
