The crew of the German rescue ship Humanity 1 say they were threatened by the crew of a Libyan coast guard vessel as they sought to rescue 77 migrants from small boats. At least one person drowned and tens were forced back to Libya, Humanity 1 crew say.
"On Saturday, (March 2), the crew from the civil rescue ship Humanity 1, operating in the central Mediterranean, was threatened several times by the so-called Libyan coast guard," states a press release from the organization SOS Humanity, which operates the Humanity 1 sea rescue ship.
The statement, released on March 4, details how individuals aboard the Libyan coast guard vessel not only tried to hamper the rescue efforts of the Humanity 1 crew, but also fired a shot into the sea, resulting in some migrants springing into the water and at least one death.
The press statement included photos of some of the migrants in the water between their boat and the rescue ship.
The Humanity 1 sails under a German flag in the Mediterranean. The crew on board ended up rescuing 77 migrants from three different small boats.
'Many people ended up springing into the water in panic'
"Many people ended up springing into the water in panic," stated the organization SOS Humanity. "From the testimony of survivors, we discovered that at least one person was left behind on the boat, and probably drowned."
"It is incomprehensible to see how the Libyan coast guard, financed by the EU and Italy, puts people’s lives in danger. The support from these bodies resulted in at least one person drowning on Saturday, many people put in danger and around 20 people forced to return to Libya, against their will and international law."
According to the statement from SOS Humanity, "the patrol boat that threatened our rescue operation with weapons was one of the two ships that were delivered to Libya and financed by the EU in the second half of 2023."
'Witnessing this myself shocked me deeply'
Laura Gorriahn, chairperson of the SOS Humanity board, was on board the Humanity 1 as a volunteer human rights observer when the rescue and threatening actions took place.
"As a migration scientist, I know in theory and from reports about the breaches of international law taking place in the central Mediterranean, which are supported by the inhumane isolationist policies coming from the EU. But witnessing this myself shocked me deeply."
The captain of the Humanity 1 reported the events to the Italian authorities in charge of assigning a port for the disembarkation of the rescued migrants.
Initially, the Italian authorities asked the Humanity 1 to sail to the port of Bari.
However, while en route to the eastern port city, a storm hit the Mediterranean and authorities allowed the ship to divert to the much nearer port of Crotone.
Disembarkation in Crotone
Crotone is situated on one of Italy’s southernmost tips, essentially at the bottom of the sole of Italy’s boot. According to the website Vessel Finder, the Humanity 1 is due to dock in Crotone on Monday afternoon.
This is the Humanity 1’s 11th rescue mission, the organization stated in a post on X on March 4. Just before the rescue, the crew of the Humanity 1 say they witnessed an "illegal interception" by the Libyan coast guard. They did not detail how many people may have been on that boat.
During the Humanity 1’s 10th rescue mission in early February, the crew picked up 190 survivors, including 45 minors in two different rescue operations.