Charities have slammed the Italian government’s actions as “illegal” after it prevented 250 people from disembarking from two migrant rescue ships.
There are 215 blocks on GeoBarents and 35 blocks on Humanity 1.
Children and people with medical problems were allowed to leave the ships in Catania, Sicily, but others were not. Two other rescue boats are at sea.
Italy’s new prime minister has promised to crack down on migrants traveling across the Mediterranean.
Italy is one of the main points of entry into Europe and 85,000 migrants have arrived on boats since the start of the year, according to the United Nations.
Migrants travel from North Africa in small, overcrowded boats – often getting into trouble and being rescued by charity ships.
A total of 144 people were allowed to disembark from Humanity 1, which operates under the German flag, on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, 357 people were allowed to leave the Geobarent managed by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which operates under the Norwegian flag.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantidossi said those who did not qualify as vulnerable would have to leave Italian waters and be looked after by the “flag state”.
However, the captain of Humanity 1 is refusing to leave the port of Catania “until all survivors rescued from distress at sea are disembarked”, said SOS Humanity, the German charity that operates it.
In a series of tweets, SOS Humanity added that “the law of the sea compels him [the captain] to bring all rescued persons to safety.”
“Survivors have the right to individual safety checks, which can only be done on land. Denying the 35 people aboard Humanity 1 safety from territorial waters is a collective denial and therefore illegal. “
In tweets posted later on Sunday, SOS Humanity said it would launch legal action against the Italian government on Monday, claiming Italy’s actions breach European law and the Geneva Refugee Convention.
It added that it was illegal to not allow all migrants to disembark and that it would launch legal proceedings in Catania, to allow those on board to disembark and start asylum applications.
