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…
DetailsItalian 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…
DetailsBrussels, July 17 – In a bold protest against Frontex’s attempt to intimidate the search and rescue organization Sea-Watch, the NGO has unloaded around 700 life vests outside the EU border agency’s Brussels office. The striking visual protest follows Frontex’s recent demand that Sea-Watch pay legal costs after their 2024 court case at the EU General Court…
DetailsDear Mr. Leijtens, Frontex is once again obstructing democratic scrutiny. Your agency is demanding that we — a civil society organisation — pay €11,093.32 in court costs, for a legal case that arose because Frontex refused to release documents related to a clear human rights violation. This demand is an act of institutional intimidation designed…
DetailsIn June, our crew rescued 91 people in distress at sea. Stationed in Lampedusa, we use our rescue vessel Aurora to patrol our area of operation, quickly respond to emergencies, stabilize boats until the Italian coastguard arrives, or take people on board ourselves. In the early morning hours of June 3, we successfully rescued 91…
DetailsDuring yesterday’s reconnaissance flights over the Central Mediterranean, the crew of Sea-Watch’s aircraft Seabird 1 discovered the bodies of five people floating in international waters off the Libyan coast. While searching for more bodies, an armed Libyan militia with an Italy-financed patrol vessel was present close to one of the dead bodies but refused to respond to any of the…
DetailsEarly this morning, on World Refugee Day, Sea-Watch rescued 70 people from distress in the Mediterranean sea. The youngest is only one year old. One person was later medically evacuated to Malta due to critical health conditions. Several others are suffering from severe fuel burns, dehydration, and exhaustion after being at sea for more than…
DetailsOver the weekend, we witnessed not only an illegal and violent pullback by the so-called Libyan coastguard, but once again the inaction of European states. Not even a woman giving birth was enough to prompt the Italian authorities to rescue people stranded on an oil platform. Last Saturday, Alarm Phone alerted European authorities: a group…
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