Thread by @emmevilla

⛔️🚢 So, @UNHumanRights wrote to the 🇮🇹 Italian government, asking it to *withdraw* a Directive by the Minister of Interior attempting to criminalize search and rescue at sea in the Central Mediterranean.

What’s all the fuss?

Let me tell you briefly. 1/n

First, a few political notes: sit back and enjoy the view, because another huge fight over international law and its interpretation is in the making.

Also, when reading this remember that @UNHumanRights can only issue recommendations, not force a country to do to anything. 2/n

Moreover, keep in mind that the “Ministerial Decree” (aka “Directive”) criticized by @UNHumanRights is not a piece of legislation, but an act that tells public officials how they should interpret existing legislation — and how to behave to comply with it.

3/n

In asking Italy to withdraw its Directive, @UNHumanRights states that “search and rescue operations (...) cannot represent a violation of national legislation on border control or irregular migration”.

4/n

Then, comes the j’accuse: “since the Italian government is not consistently providing rescue mechanisms to protect life and dignity, humanitarian actors are indispensable”.

5/n

It goes on: “Italy cannot fail to discharge its obligation to respect and protect the right to life and then exacerbate and compound that failure by precluding others (...)”.

Full steam ahead! 🙀

6/n

Wait, there is more!

When the Min. of Interior highlights terrorism risks from irregular migration, this “results in a blank criminalization of all migrants in vulnerable situations”.

Especially if accusations are not backed up by “factual information”.

7/n

Incidentally, here’s a factoid. Between 2014 and today, ~10 people entered Europe through irregular sea routes and then committed a terrorism act.

That’s 0.0003% of those who reached Europe in the period.

99.9997% of them seem okay. But who knows, right? 🤷‍♂️

8/n

Back to the letter, here comes another bomb: please, Italy, do not make “instrumental use of the fight against trafficking in persons”.

Restrictive migration policies may “contribute to (...) favour trafficking in persons”.

BOOM! 💣💥 9/n

Italy’s Directive says #Libya ports are “able to provide migrants with adequate logistical and medical assistance”.

Well, here @UNHumanRights simply states the obvious: Libya is not a safe place for migrants and refugees.
As repeatedly stated by @Refugees and @UNmigration.

10/n

The recommendations:

- Please, 🇮🇹, withdraw the Directive;
- Please, 🇪🇺 Member States, “implement a coherent, human rights-based response to maritime migration from Libya”.

I am sure everyone will heed the call. 🤔

(END)

BONUS: If you made it this far, here comes the best part for migration nerds.

Please, provide us (and researchers) with DATA and evidence for your claims! 😍

My concern: data transparency is in sharp decline, and policy makers’ trust in impartial research is nosediving.