The Italian government will not accept
lessons on human rights in relation to migrants rescued by two
foreign NGO run ships who have been stopped from landing in
Sicily and described as "residual cargo", Interior Minister
Matteo Piantedosi said Tuesday.
"If you want to focus on the exegesis of bureaucratic terms then
go at it, but we don't accept lessons from anyone from the
standpoint of respecting human rights," he said.
Pinatedosi said the migrants still aboard the Humanity 1 and the
Geo Barents at Catania "are not at sea, they are safe".
The government has allowed vulnerable migrants to land but is
refusing disembarkation for the healthier migrants, many of whom
have now started a hunger strike.
Piantedosi replied to a question on the legality of selecting
migrants for landing by saying "there are ongoing appeals, it
will be decided in the competent fora".
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