16/04/2020 (Agence Europe) – “Despite the unprecedented challenges European countries face due to COVID-19, saving lives at sea and disembarking survivors in a safe port must continue”, said Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe (CoE) Commissioner for Human Rights, on Thursday 16 April. She admits that rescuing people adrift at sea while protecting public health is currently a huge challenge, referring to the closure of Italian and Maltese ports to humanitarian ships (see EUROPE 12466/9). But the COVID-19 crisis “cannot justify knowingly abandoning people to drown, leaving rescued migrants stranded at sea for days, or seeing them effectively returned to Libya where they are exposed to grave human rights violations”. Ms Mijatović calls on all CoE member countries, including flag States, not to abandon coastal States faced with this situation. (VL)