More than 23.000 people lost their life in the Central Mediterranean Sea since 2014. It remains one of the world’s deadliest borders. source: IMO
The crew of the Iuventa was conducting Search and Rescue operations during 2016 and 2017, until the ship was confiscated by Italian authorities on 2nd August 2017. Part of the crew, along with other NGOs, has been under investigation for aiding and abetting illegal migration. For 6 out of 10 defendants, the case was closed in March 2021. Against the remaining four crew members, the proceedings were opened.
The first preliminary hearing had taken place on the 21th May 2022 in Trapani. Over a number of hearings and over a course of months, the judge will decide whether the trial is continued or dismissed.
„This trial is not just about us. All across Europe, people are being prosecuted for handing out food, giving shelter, saving lives. I stand by my actions. How can solidarity be a crime?“
Sascha · Head of Mission IUVENTA. Find out more about criminalisation
While it is us who to stand trial, we have our own accusation to levy:
- We accuse European politics of actively violating the human rights of people in need.
- We accuse the EU of collaborating with authoritarian regimes that violate the human rights of migrants such as Libya, Turkey and Morocco.
- We accuse the EU of aiding and abetting the criminalisation and imprisonment of people on the move without regards to its self-proclaimed ethics or principles
The racist border regime’s violence and arbitrary criminalisation is the crime.
Migration is not a crime.
Help us prove that in court.