German NGO Jugend Rettet went on the counterattack on Tuesday after requesting the Iuventa, a ship it used to conduct migrant rescues in the southern Mediterranean, be released by the Italian authorities.
Jugend Rettet officials told a press conference that the accusations that led to the vessel being seized were "based on the conflicting declarations of two private security guards linked to Italian extreme right groups". The Dutch-flagged Iuventa was seized in August in relation to a Trapani probe into alleged aiding of illegal migration.
Photos linked to the case and published in the media that seem to show an incident when migrants were not rescued at sea but were effectively handed over by traffickers sparked a furore.
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