Tista' taqra bil- Malti.
A Libyan coastguard vessel was observed firing shots as it intercepted a group of would-be asylum seekers within the Malta search-and-rescue area, in what would appear to be an attempt to carry out an illegal pushback into Libyan territory.
The incident was observed by the Seabird, a reconnaissance aircraft operated by NGO Sea-Watch International, which reported that shots were fired into the water as the “so-called” Libyan Coastguard intercepted the group of migrants.
“This brutality endangers people’s lives. Refugees are not a target! Malta, act now to stop the violence,” Sea-Watch insisted.
NGO Alarm Phone, which operates a hotline for those seeking to cross the Mediterranean to reach safety, confirmed that there were around 50 people on board the boat which was being intercepted by the Libyan vessel.
Describing the incident as a “crime scene in Malta SAR” and emphasising that an illegal pushback was taking place, it insisted that the group should be brought to safety in Europe without delay.
Malta was accused of coordinating a pushback of another group – of around 90 people – over the weekend. Maltese authorities reportedly shared the boat’s location with the Libyan coastguard to prevent them from reaching Maltese waters.
According to international law, a country is forbidden from returning asylum seekers to a country in which they would be in likely danger of persecution. Sea-Watch emphasised that Libya could in no way be considered a safe place for asylum seekers, and accused Malta of breaching its international obligations in coordinating the illegal return.
The Maltese government has frequently depicted its efforts as a struggle against human trafficking, dismissing any concerns about the plight of the people seeking to reach Europe and readily insisted that Malta was “full-up” – but only where they were concerned.
Though Malta has frequently described the Libyan government as a partner in this fight against traffickers, Libya’s own efforts to combat trafficking have been questionable.
While the migrants themselves have been detained under notorious conditions in Libyan camps, human traffickers appear to be allowed to operate with impunity. Last April, Libya released a man described as one of the world’s most wanted human traffickers from custody citing lack of evidence, months after Malta described his arrest as a major step forward. As it happens, the man, Abdulrahman Milad, is a commander within the Libyan coastguard.
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