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With his decision to close the Italian ports to those rescued at sea, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini is breaking a good handful of treaties of which his country is a signatory. The same can be said of Malta and even Spain, where the Government of Pedro Sánchez has also put all possible obstacles to rescue operations. From the declarations of international rights, the Geneva convention to European and local norms, as well as those of the sea, politicians such as Salvini put electoral, economic or demographic calculations before complying with laws that, with the oath of office, He promised to defend. These are:

MARITIME RIGHT . The obligation to assist people in danger at sea is one of the basic principles of Maritime Law, as recognized in article 98 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In addition, article 98.2 of this maritime agreement 1982 stipulates that its signatories (the EU is) must "promote the creation, operation and maintenance of an adequate and effective search and rescue service to ensure maritime safety". But European leaders are shielded in the "called effect" so as not to launch a rescue operation itself.

AGREEMENT ON SEARCH AND RESCUE MARINOS . In the amendments to this treaty, the signatory states must commit themselves to the captain of the ship "to lead rescued persons at sea to a safe place." These European governments consider Libya that "safe place" that this norm speaks of, even though it is a failed state managed by slave militias where the most basic Human Rights are violated in a degrading and inhuman way. The Open Arms, a ship that now travels with 160 people on board, was temporarily held in Sicily on a complaint from the Italian Prosecutor's Office against its captain for not giving immigrants to the Libyan coastguards. The Ragusa Court gave the reason to the captain in 2018, who was acquitted on the grounds that Libya cannot be considered a "safe place" when the NGOs themselves were threatened with weapons.

UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS. Salvini and other European leaders are breaking their article 14: "In case of persecution, everyone has the right to seek asylum, and enjoy it, in other countries." In Europe, that right was restricted to refugee quotas in the crisis of 2015 and 2016, and today it is totally breached by the closure of borders or ports to prevent its arrival.

GENEVA CONVENTION Many EU leaders, not only Salvini, trample this universal law letter of 1951, of which they are all signatories. The articles that are not complied with are the Statute of the refugee, that is, "the protection that a State offers to persons who are not nationals of its own and whose life or liberty is in danger due to acts, threats and persecutions of the authorities of another State." In addition, it is forbidden for these refugees or asylum seekers to be returned "to the territories where their life or freedom is endangered because of their race, religion, social group or political opinions."

CHARTER OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE EU. This legally binding letter since the approval of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009 is not respected in its article 9 (Right to asylum) and article 6 of the directive: "Mandatory registration of all international protection applications that are submitted".

EUROPEAN HUMAN AGREEMENT. The Government of Salvini breaches articles 3, 13 and the 4th protocol, but has already been violated before. For example, when Spain expelled 30 Sahrawi asylum seekers in 2011. This was ruled by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

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  • Libya
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ItalyThe ship 'Alan Kurdi' is heading towards Lampedusa with 40 migrants on board

Migration The Open Arms is heading towards Italy, with 123 migrants on board, waiting for a safe harbor

Immigration Salvini does not authorize an Italian Coast Guard patrol to land 140 rescued immigrants