ITALY: Human rights group Amnesty International blames the Italian government for creating a humanitarian crisis on Lampedusa

Record ID: 731429

  • Title: ITALY: Human rights group Amnesty International blames the Italian government for creating a humanitarian crisis on Lampedusa
  • Date: 2nd April 2011
  • Summary: LAMPEDUSA, ITALY (APRIL 1, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS IN MAKESHIFT TENT ENCAMPMENT WITH FERRY IN THE SEA BEHIND THEM MIGRANTS GATHERED AROUND OPEN FIRE MIGRANT PRAYING NEXT TO IMPROVISED TENT MIGRANTS WALKING AROUND MIGRANT SITTING ON HILLSIDE LOOKING OUT TO SEA NAVY SHIP SAN MARCO NEAR SHORE VARIOUS OF PASSENGER FERRY NEAR SHORE MIGRANTS SLEEPING ON GROUND AT PIER VARIOUS OF MEN IN PROTECTIVE SUITS CLEANING AND DISINFECTING PIER DIGGER MOVING TOWARDS MAKESHIFT TENT ENCAMPMENT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL NEWS CONFERENCE BEGINNING JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHARLOTTE PHILLIPS, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS PROGRAMME, SAYING: "Amnesty International believes that there should not have been a humanitarian crisis on Lampedusa, but the crisis has been created by the Italian government's failure to respond adequately to the situation here in Lampedusa. The Italian government has failed to meet its obligations under human rights law. For example, Tunisians have been unable to access the most basic of rights including access to adequate shelter or shelter at all, sanitary conditions and so on." NEWS CONFERENCE UNDERWAY (SOUNDBITE) (English) ANNELIESE BALDACCINI, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS OFFICE IN BRUSSELS, SAYING "Apart from the cooperation in providing immediate humanitarian relief in the region of conflict, there has not been, there has not been a coordinated response, addressing the situation as it has presented itself in Europe. When it comes to Europe, it seems that member states are asked to deal with the situation within domestic, to give some sort of a domestic response to the situation. We would like to see the European Union to address the situation in coordination and cooperation and provide a response in solidarity, as we say." VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS IN TOWN CENTRE LOCAL MAN LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF MIGRANTS OUTSIDE A CAFETERIA IN TOWN CENTRE
  • Embargoed: 17th April 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA7YZ0EYS2107ACFTUPIC62WQBN
  • Story Text: A new calm resided over the Sicilian island of Lampedusa on Friday (April 1) morning as the Italian government's operation to move thousands of North African migrants kicked into full gear.
    Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who visited Lampedusa on Wednesday (March 30), promised to transfer thousands of illegal migrants to other centres in Italy by the weekend after an outcry over a humanitarian crisis on the southern island.
    The plans, however, ran into trouble on Thursday (March 31) afternoon as strong winds and rough seas prevented government-deployed ships from docking on the island's ports.
    The operation was able to resume in the early hours of Friday, leaving a notably smaller presence of migrants on the tiny island.
    A quiet tourist and fishing port, Lampedusa, has been transformed into a garbage-strewn encampment where hundreds of migrants from Tunisia have disembarked from overloaded fishing boats virtually every day.
    Human rights group Amnesty International has been surveying the conditions on the island over the past days.
    Addressing the media on Friday, representatives of the organisation said the crisis could have been avoided and blamed the Italian government for mishandling the situation.
    "Amnesty International believes that there should not have been a humanitarian crisis on Lampedusa, but the crisis has been created by the Italian government's failure to respond adequately to the situation here in Lampedusa. The Italian government has failed to meet its obligations under human rights law. For example, Tunisians have been unable to access the most basic of rights including access to adequate shelter or shelter at all, sanitary conditions and so on," said Charlotte Phillips, representative of the Amnesty International Refugees and Migrants Programme London office.
    The representative of the Amnesty International European Institutions office in Brussels, Anneliese Baldaccini, said European states had been left to address the crisis alone when there should be a coordinated response from the European Union.
    "Apart from the cooperation in providing immediate humanitarian relief in the region of conflict, there has not been, there has not been a coordinated response, addressing the situation as it has presented itself in Europe. When it comes to Europe, it seems that member states are asked to deal with the situation within domestic, to give some sort of a domestic response to the situation. We would like to see the European Union to address the situation in coordination and cooperation and provide a response in solidarity, as we say."
    Migrants have flowed to Lampedusa since the fall of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January loosened previously strict frontier controls and opened the way into Europe for thousands seeking employment.
    According to Berlusconi's office the premier had spoken to his Tunisian counterpart Beji Caid Essebsi by telephone on Thursday and would visit Tunisia on Monday (April 4).
    Berlusconi has complained that Tunisia is not keeping its pledge to curb the flow of immigrants.
    The prime minister said Italy had guaranteed a financial commitment to help economic recovery in Tunisia's cities and in exchange Tunisia was supposed to block the departure of boats from its ports and accept the repatriation of its citizens, which had not happened.
    Last week Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Italy would give Tunisia 80 million euros ($114 million) worth of aid and equipment to help stem the flow of migration following unrest in the North African region.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register