Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, lamented on Wednesday 27 March that the modalities for extending the EUNAVFORMed Sophia operation in the Mediterranean resulted in “even fewer naval assets in the Mediterranean”.
According to her, the priority for Member States should be to “ensure a sufficiently resourced and fully operational system for saving human lives at sea and to safeguard rescued migrants’ dignity”. And, in this system, coastal States playing a leading role must be supported by other States through the “provision of naval assets specifically dedicated to search and rescue activities”.
Dunja Mijatović also reiterated her call to all Member States “to refrain from hindering and criminalising the work of NGOs who are trying to fill the ever-increasing gaps in rescue capacity”.
The Commissioner also deplored the decision of Member States' experts to continue only aerial surveillance and training of the Libyan Coast Guard. In doing so, Member States are only contributing “directly or indirectly” to the return of migrants and asylum seekers to Libya where they are proven to be at risk of serious human rights violations, she stressed.
Finally, according to Ms Mijatović, Member States must “show urgently that the support to the Libyan Coast Guard is not contributing to human rights violations, and to suspend this support if they cannot do so”. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)