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8 May, 2018 11:35

Nigerian migrants file human rights case with European Court over Italy’s Libyan coastguard deal

Seventeen Nigerian survivors of a 2017 migrant boat sinking have filed a case with the European Court of Human Rights accusing Italy of violating their rights by subcontracting their rescue to the Libyan coastguard, AP said. The case was backed by a consortium of legal and human rights organizations. Its members said Tuesday that the policy, which involved using EU funds to train and equip the Libyan coastguard to patrol its coasts and bring migrants back, had subjected would-be refugees to slavery, torture and other degrading and inhuman treatment. They said Italy was responsible for the abuses because it maintained “effective control” over the Libyan rescuers. The case poses a direct challenge to Italy’s 2017 deal with Libya that has greatly reduced the number of asylum-seekers reaching Europe.