Libyans 'coordinated Asso 28 rescue'

(ANSA) - Rome, July 31 - The Italian Coast Guard said Tuesday that the rescue of around 100 migrants by the Italian ship Asso 28, which then reportedly took the asylum seekers back to Libya, "took place under the coordination of the Libyan Coast Guard, which managed the whole operation". A member of the leftwing LeU party on Monday expressed concern that the failure to take the migrants rescued from a dinghy to Italy could have amounted to a breach of international law. The Italian section of UN refugees agency UNHCR said Tuesday that it was looking at the case.
    "We are collecting all the necessary information about the case of the Italian ship #AssoVentotto, which reportedly took back 108 people rescued in the Mediterranean to #Libya," UNHCR Italia said via Twitter.
    "Libya is not a port of safety and this act could be a violation of international law".