More than 40 rescued migrants have been allowed to disembark from a charity ship in Italy after the ship’s captain docked without permission.
The ‘Alex’ defied the Italian Government by sailing into port on the island of Lampedusa warning that hygienic conditions on the ship had become “intolerable.”
The migrants spent hours waiting under guard on board the ship overnight; however, they have now been allowed to come ashore.
Il governo tedesco mi chiede di aprire i porti italiani ai barconi? Assolutamente NO. https://t.co/cCadiIzWzJ
— Matteo Salvini (@matteosalvinimi) July 6, 2019
Yesterday, Italy's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini vowed that the migrants would “absolutely not” be allowed to disembark.
In a tweet, the migration charity Mediterranea said the migrants were “finally disembarking for care and assistance.”
The groups said it was “happy for the extraordinary people we have had the privilege of helping.”
🔴 Confermiamo: i naufraghi soccorsi dal veliero #Alex di #Mediterranea stanno finalmente sbarcando per ricevere cura e assistenza. Siamo felici per le straordinarie persone che abbiamo avuto il privilegio di aiutare. pic.twitter.com/SGSS4tHKJr
— Mediterranea Saving Humans (@RescueMed) July 6, 2019
It comes just a week after a different rescue ship, the Sea-Watch 3, landed on Lampedusa after being stranded at sea for two weeks.
The ship’s captain Carola Rackete was arrested and accused of endangering police lives at sea.
A judge later ordered her to be freed; however, she faces further charges of aiding people smugglers and resisting authorities.
Italian authorities want boats that attempt to make the journey to Europe from Libya to be intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard.
The judge in the case ruled that both Libya and Tunisia are unsafe countries for migrants.
