Strasbourg, 06/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - More than a hundred MEPs are demanding the release of seven Tunisian fishermen held in Italy for having “aided and abetted illegal immigration” last August. The fishermen assert that they had only rescued the immigrants who were experiencing difficulties at sea (EUROPE 9494). On Wednesday 5 September in Strasbourg, Italian MEP Giusto Catania (GUE/NGL) speaking at a press conference at the plenary session affirmed: “We are witnessing heroes being treated as criminals. This is why political mobilisation is necessary”. The Conference of presidents of the groups at the European Parliament reached a decision on Thursday 6 September on the proposal of Francis Wurtz, the French president of the GUE/NGL group, and decided to ask the Commission to give an opinion on the case. The debate will take place on Wednesday 26 September as part of the priority debates of the next parliamentary session on immigration.
The sailors implicated in this affair simply affirm that they came to the aid of 44 migrants on a inflatable dinghy that was sinking in dangerous seas. In compliance with maritime law, they warned the authorities before taking their passengers to the small island of Lampedusa, the nearest coast, where they received medical assistance. Mr Catania took the case up with the commissioner for immigration, Franco Frattini so that the latter would provide assurances for those involved in saving people in danger at sea. The MEP also asked for this to be noted in the Frontex Agency's mandate as well as in that for rapid intervention teams operating off European coastlines.
In their protest appeal, parliamentarians from the PES, Greens, Liberal group and the European United Left and Nordic Green Left are therefore demanding that there is no “criminalisation of rescue teams at sea whatever they are”. As the president of the EP's human rights sub committee, Hélène Flautre (Greens/EFA, France) confirmed: “The end of the trial will have extremely decisive consequences, as it aims to undo decades of human rights on saving lives at sea”. The fishermen were arrested for “complicity in illegal immigration and human trafficking” and will appear at the Agrigente Court in Sicily. They risk getting a 15 year prison sentence. The continuation of the hearings is set for 20 September. A big demonstration is planned for Friday 7 September in Agrigente in solidarity for the seven Tunisian fishermen. (bc)