The measure against the Geo Barents ship of Doctors Without Borders, communicated on February 23, is the first to be implemented against an NGO since the introduction of the so called NGO decree, which became law on the same day.

"Italian authorities have just communicated that the Geo Barents search and rescue ship of MSF, is under administrative detention for 20 days and fined 10 thousand euro. The port authority of Ancona argues that, under the new decree, we failed to provide the information requested during the last shift which ended with the arrival in Ancona", explained MSF last Thursday (February 23).

The organization is taking into consideration "possible legal action to appeal against what took place. It is unacceptable to be punished for saving lives," commented MSF.

Already after the introduction of the NGO decree -- which became law on February 23 and which introduces a series of sanctions for humanitarian organizations that do not comply with the new rules --, the Geo Barents ship had conducted other rescue missions in the Mediterranean.

These missions ended with Italian authorities assigning a port to disembark, the same as what occurred for other NGOs.

New rules for NGOs carrying out rescue missions

The provision against the Geo Barents ship risks triggering a new controversy by humanitarian NGOs whose mission is conducting rescue missions in the Mediterranean who had already been protesting against the Italian's Senate green light to the decree.

The decree sets out a set of rules: among them the possession by NGOs of all the authorizations issued by the competent Italian State authorities and techno-nautical safety sailing in local water certificates.

Furthermore, they are obliged to request the assignment of the port to disembark immediately after conducting the rescue and they are required to head toward the assigned destinatio