EU rights court says Italy not responsible for Libyan coast guard actions over migrant boat sinking
Judges at the European Court of Human Rights ruled Thursday that Italy could not be held liable for the actions of the Libyan Coast Guard, rejecting a case brought by a group of migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea in a fatal boat sinking in 2017.
The Strasbourg court declared the case inadmissible, finding Italy did not have 'effective control' of the expanse of waters off the coast of Tripoli where a small ship carrying some 150 people sank in 2017.
Twenty people died in the incident. Around 45 survivors onboard the ship said they were taken to Tajura Detention Center in Tripoli where they were beaten and abused.
The judges found that the captain and crew of the Libyan vessel Ras Jadir had acted independently when they answered a distress signal in the early morning hours on Nov. 6.
Italy has supplied the Libyans with funding, vessels and training as part of an agreement to slow the tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean. The judges found, however, that this support did not prove 'Italy had taken over Libya's public-authority powers.'
A group of migrants was rescued by the humanitarian organization Sea Watch and were taken to Italy.
A ruling in favor of the 14 survivors who filed the complaint at the ECHR could have undermined international agreements made by several European Union countries with Libya, Turkey and others to prevent migrants from coming to European shores.
The ECHR handles complaints against the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. The intergovernmental organization is not an EU institution and was set up after the Second World War to promote peace and democracy.
Libya is not a member of the Council of Europe, so the court has no jurisdiction over the country's actions.
___
Follow AP's coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Russia condemns Israel's strike on Iran as 'unprovoked aggression'
Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed "extreme concern" on June 13 over Israel's recent strike on Iran, calling it a dangerous escalation that violated the United Nations Charter and international law. Moscow, which currently wages war against Ukraine, the largest conflict on the European continent since World War II, condemned Israel's attack as an "unprovoked aggression." Earlier on June 13, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israeli forces had launched "Operation Rising Lion," a preemptive strike targeting Iran's nuclear program. In a televised address, Netanyahu claimed Israeli forces struck Iran's main nuclear enrichment site in Natanz and targeted key nuclear scientists. In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced Israel's overnight attacks as "unprovoked military strikes" targeting a sovereign U.N. member's nuclear facilities. The ministry said the international community "cannot remain indifferent" to such actions that undermine global and regional stability. The statement called it "cynical" that the strikes occurred during a session of the International Atomic Energy Agency and just before another round of indirect Iran–U.S. talks in Oman, scheduled for June 15. Moscow said this timing undermined diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing confrontations over Tehran's nuclear program. The ministry accused Western countries of fueling "anti-Iranian hysteria" in international forums and warned that military solutions cannot resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. It urged all parties to show restraint to avoid a full-scale regional war. The condemnation comes as Moscow and Tehran continue to strengthen their ties. Iran's parliament ratified on May 21 a 20‑year strategic partnership agreement with Russia, deepening military and economic cooperation. While the pact does not include mutual defense, it outlines joint military exercises, energy cooperation, and interbank links designed to circumvent Western sanctions. Iran has also supplied Russia with thousands of Shahed drones and ballistic missiles used against Ukraine throughout Moscow's war. Previously, Moscow claimed its willingness to remove excess nuclear material from Iran, converting it into reactor fuel in support of U.S.–Iran nuclear talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia is prepared to assist if both Iran and the U.S. find its help valuable. Read also: Israel launches 'preemptive' air strikes on Iran's nuclear program, IRGC chief killed in attack We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Analysis-Killings at European schools fan concern U.S. problem is spreading
By John Revill ZURICH (Reuters) -A spate of school killings in Western Europe has raised pressure on authorities to tackle a problem long seen as a largely U.S. phenomenon, increasing momentum for tougher gun and security laws and more policing of social media. While mass shootings remain far more common in the United States, four of the worst school shootings in Western Europe this century have occurred since 2023 and two - a massacre of 11 people in Austria and another in Sweden- were this year. This week's killings in the Austrian city of Graz sparked calls for tighter gun laws by political leaders, mirroring the response of the Swedish government after the 11 deaths at the Campus Risbergska school in Orebro in February. "Mass shootings, of which school shootings are a part, were overwhelmingly a U.S. problem in the past, but the balance is shifting," said Adam Lankford, a criminologist at the University of Alabama. "The number in Europe and elsewhere is increasing." Part of the rise stems from copycat attacks in Europe often inspired by notorious U.S. rampages such as the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, according to shooters' own comments or their internet search histories, Lankford said. "It's like an export from America. These attackers see other people do it and it has a snowball effect." According to research by Lankford and Jason Silva, shootings carried out by people eager for notoriety were twice as numerous in the United States as in the rest of the world between 2005 and 2010. By 2017-2022, the rest of the world had caught up. Their data also shows that Europe accounts for a bigger share of mass shootings than it used to. It should be easier for European politicians to act against mass shootings than the United States, due to the central role of guns in American culture and identity, Lankford said. The European Union has left gun laws and regulation of social media up to member states. Recent killings have seen a drive by several countries to apply tougher rules. In Sweden, the government agreed to tighten the vetting process for people applying for gun licences and to clamp down on some semi-automatic weapons following the Orebro killings. Incidents of violence and threatening behaviour in junior high and high schools rose over 150% between 2003 and 2023, according to a report by Sweden's Work Environment Authority. In Finland, where a 12-year-old shot dead a fellow pupil and badly wounded two others in 2024, schools practice barricading doors and hiding from shooters. The government has also proposed stricter punishments for carrying guns in public. Following a deadly December knife attack at a Zagreb primary school, Croatia's government tightened access to schools and mandated they must have security guards. Germany has gradually imposed tighter controls on gun ownership since school massacres in 2002 and 2009, and last year introduced a ban on switchblades and on carrying knives at public events following a series of knife attacks. RESISTANCE Tightening gun ownership was the only way politicians could show they were taking the issue seriously, said Dirk Baier, a criminologist at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. "There will certainly be resistance to this, from hunters, sport shooters, or other lobby groups," he said. "However, I think the arguments for tightening the laws will outweigh the arguments against." Gun laws have also been a hot political topic in the Czech Republic since a student shot dead 14 people at the Charles University in Prague in December 2023. The country made it obligatory for gun sellers to report suspicious purchases and requires doctors to check whether people diagnosed with psychological problems hold gun permits. Britain is holding a public inquiry into an attack in Southport where three young girls were stabbed to death last year. UK drama "Adolescence", a story about a schoolboy accused of murder, explores concerns about toxic online culture. Meanwhile in France, President Emmanuel Macron this month pressed for EU regulation to ban social media for children under 15 following a fatal school stabbing. What motivated the Austrian school gunman is still under investigation. Police said he was socially withdrawn and passionate about online shooting games. Most such shootings are carried out by young men, and criminologist Lankford said there was a global phenomenon of perpetrators seeking notoriety that eluded them in real life, driven in part by social media. "Even if the shooters expect to die, some are excited about leaving behind a legacy." Austria has relatively liberal gun laws, and President Alexander Van der Bellen said after the attack the legislation deserved closer scrutiny. Broad support in Austria for tightening gun ownership laws looked probable, although a general ban on private weapons seems unlikely, said political scientist Peter Filzmaier.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine is no longer just aid recipient but strategic partner in Europe's security
Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský has stated that over the past two years, Ukraine's role in European security has shifted from that of an aid recipient to an equal strategic partner. Source: Lipavský at the GLOBSEC 2025 forum in Czechia on 13 June, as reported by European Pravda Details: Lipavský said that the EU's shared understanding and reality have evolved over the past two years from "we have to help Ukraine" and "Ukraine, please help us" to true cooperation. Quote: "It is in our interest that we cooperate with Ukraine on our security. Now Ukraine possesses some of the state-of-the-art technologies, which possibly we want to have them too. So the only way to be part of that is to be doing things in and doing things with Ukraine." Details: Lipavský stressed that Ukraine is not a country whose "capital can be defeated in three days", but a "strategic partner in building up Europe's security". Quote: "It is in our interest that Ukraine is on our side, and we craft this strategic partnership and that we will integrate Ukraine in so many fields. And this is a novelty. This was not here three years ago, maybe two years ago. But it is the trend of the last year." More details: Lipavský also noted Czechia's active policy of launching joint projects with Ukraine. Quote: "We are very grateful for this. So you have the dedication, our support and altogether we can defeat Russia and keep borders where the borders should be." Background: Czech President Petr Pavel previously said that under Czechia's initiative to procure ammunition for Ukraine globally, deliveries for 2026 are already being prepared. Following his meeting with Pavel in Prague in early May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine and Czechia are working on establishing a joint Czech-Ukrainian F-16 training school. Czechia also recently completed a two-year programme to train 18 Ukrainian civilian aviation pilots. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
