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Italy detains human rights monitoring aircraft

The Italian authorities have detained the Seabird 1 monitoring aircraft belonging to the civilian sea rescue organisation Sea-Watch with immediate effect. This marks a new escalation in the Italian government’s fight against civilian human rights observation in the Mediterranean. On Thursday, 7 August, the crew of Seabird 1 was informed by the aviation authority ENAC…

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2 dead after negligence in Mediterranean Sea

Two children dead and one person remains missing after a boat in distress with over 90 people on board capsized in the Mediterranean Sea on 29 of July 2025. The monitoring aircraft Seabird 2 of the search and rescue organization Sea-Watch first spotted the boat in distress on Monday, 28 July, and alerted all responsible European…

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Airborne Annual Report 2024

The Airborne Annual Report 2024 provides an overview of the findings of Sea-Watch’s airborne monitoring of human rights violations in the central Mediterranean Sea during 2024. Together with the Swiss organization Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI), Sea-Watch operates the two monitoring aircraft Seabird 1 and Seabird 2. Starting from Lampedusa, the aircraft patrol the central Mediterranean…

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Sea-Watch rescue ship Aurora detained

Italian authorities have detained the Sea-Watch ship Aurora for 20 days. The decision issued today by the Prefecture of Agrigento orders the blockade of the vessel, despite close cooperation with Italian authorities. Sea-Watch is seeking legal action against the detention. Including the Aurora, three civil rescue vessels are currently blocked in the port of Lampedusa. In total, Italian…

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