A UN human rights committee said on Wednesday that Italy failed in its international obligations to protect the right to life of more than 200 migrants on board a vessel that sank in the Mediterranean Sea, in 2013.
In a decision published on Wednesday, the Human Rights Committee – an independent expert body that monitors States’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – said that Italy failed to respond promptly to various distress calls from the sinking boat, which was carrying more than 400 adults and children.
Italy also failed to explain the delay in dispatching its naval vessel, ITS Libra, which was located only about an hour away from the scene, the Committee said in a news release.
The Committee’s decision responded to a joint complaint lodged by four survivors – three Syrians and a Palestine national – who lost their families in the accident. The plaintiffs recounted the incidents of 10 October 2013, including the vessel’s plea to Italian authorities for urgent assistance.
Several hours later, Italian authorities told the vessel that it was in the Maltese search and rescue zone, and only provided them with a phone number of Malta’s Rescue Coordination Centre. By the time a Maltese patrol boat arrived, the vessel had already capsized, and an Italian naval ship was dispatched only after an urgent request from Malta. As a result of the delayed action, more than 200 people, including 60 children, drowned, the committee states.
According to the news release, some surviving migrants sought justice in Italian courts, and took their case to the Human Rights Committee as Italy failed to take appropriate measures to save their relatives, thus violating their right to life.
A parallel claim brought against Malta was rejected by the Committee as the plaintiffs did not bring legal proceedings before courts in Malta, which is one of the requirements, prior to filing their case to the Human Rights Committee.
Source: MAP
