Legal victory for Sea-Watch: Naples court lifts Sea-Watch 5 detention

Naples, Italy: The Court of Naples has lifted the 45-day detention of the Sea-Watch 5 and suspended a €7,500 fine. The sanctions were imposed on the allegation that Sea-Watch had failed to communicate with Libyan authorities during a rescue operation in August. Sea-Watch considers the measures unlawful and challenged them in court. In an interim…

After Gun Threat and Discovery of Corpses: Italy detains Sea-Watch 5

Following the rescue of 6 people in international waters, Italian authorities have detained the civilian rescue vessel Sea-Watch 5 for 45 days under the Piantedosi Law. Additionally, the organization has been fined €7,500 euros. Despite being in radio contact with the so-called Libyan coastguard, the Italian authorities accuse Sea-Watch of failing to inform the Libyan…

14 Bodies Found in the Mediterranean

After the search and rescue organisation SOS Méditerranée discovered 11 bodies in international waters in the Mediterranean on Friday, 14 August, Sea-Watch’s monitoring aircraft Seabird 1 and the rescue organization RESQSHIP found three more bodies over the weekend. The crew spotted the corpses on Saturday, 15 August. Following the discoveries, the rescue vessels Sea-Watch 5 and Nadir sailed to the bodies…