On Saturday, March 1 2025, the Watch The Med Alarm Phone network issued an alert concerning a serious case of distress: 32 people were reported to be on the Tunisian gas platform MISKAR, located in the Gulf of Gabès, in international waters and in the Maltese SAR zone.
The people reported to Alarm phone that they had been without food for days and that their condition was very critical. They also reported the death of one person.
Despite the alert given to the Tunisian and Maltese authorities, as well as to the Italian authorities, who passed the case on to the Libyan forces, no rescue appears to be planned.
The signatory associations urge the competent authorities to intervene quickly to rescue those in distress.
They also recall that saving lives is an obligation for all States.
They also stress that rescue can be considered complete when people are taken to a place of safety where they are not subjected to violence, expulsion, detention or any other form of institutional racist harassment.
The people stranded on the gas platform got in touch with us again. They say that one person died & the others are in bad health condition. They’ve not eaten for days. The Tunisian authorities told us that they would not rescue them today. We urge them to provide support now! pic.twitter.com/8UYZ1tBvN8
— @alarmphone (@alarm_phone) March 2, 2025
32 people are still stranded on a platform in the Med. We‘ve spotted them yesterday. Now @alarm_phone reports they’ve been without food for days, are in critical condition, and one person has already died. European authorities must act NOW—rescue them and bring them to safety. https://t.co/pWa03QJGde pic.twitter.com/Xd4AJHTxtV
— Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) March 2, 2025
Signatories
Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights FTDES
Tunisian Association of Democratic Women ATFD
World Organization Against Torture OMCT
Lawyers Without Borders ASF
Association Bayti
Tunisian Association for Justice and Equality
Tunisian Association for the Defense of Individual Freedoms
I WATCH organization
Tunisian Coalition for the Abolition of the Death Penalty
Tunisian Organization Against Torture
No peace without justice
Stop Pollution Movement Gabes
Your Voice Association Gabes
Committee for the Respect of Freedoms and Human Rights in Tunisia
Federation of Tunisians for Citizenship between the Two River
Association Nachaz
CompassCollective
SOS Humanity e.V.
borderline europe – Human Rights without borders e.V.
Resqship
Maldusa project
MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans
Sea-Watch e.V.
Watch the Med AlarmPhone
Sea-Eye e. V.
Salvamento Marítimo Humanitario – SMH
United4Rescue
M.V.Louise Michel
Seebrücke
iuventa-crew
Captain Support Network
Sea Punks e.V.
