Italy ship captain convicted after sending 101 migrants to Libya in 2018

Italy ship captain convicted after sending 101 migrants to Libya in 2018
AP with Euronews • 14/10/2021 https://www.euronews.com/2021/10/14/italy-ship-captain-convicted-after-s...

A court in Naples has convicted the captain of an Italian commercial ship for returning 101 migrants rescued at sea to Libya.

The verdict issued by judge Maria Luisa Miranda is the first of its kind in Italy and has been welcomed by human rights groups.

The ship's captain, Giuseppe Sotgiu, was found guilty of abandonment-related charges and sentenced to one year in prison.

However, the court absolved the defendant of the most serious charge - abuse of office - according to a copy of the sentence.

The United Nations refugee agency and the European Union do not consider Libya a safe port for rescued migrants.

The forced return of refugees, especially unaccompanied minors, is seen as a possible violation of their rights to protection and to seek asylum.

A previous verdict in 2012 in the European Court of Human Rights found against Italy after military vessels sent back migrants to Tripoli in 2009.