LA VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – A group of 27 asylum seekers were brought to Malta after they were rescued by two commercial vessels. Oil tanker NS Lion and commercial vessel Seastar Victory were instructed to rescue the 27 individuals in distress. Non-governmental organisation Alarm Phone said 63 individuals who were on two different vessels had been rescued and taken to Malta and Catania. However, there was no news about three more boats that left from Libya and 18 boats that had left from Tunisia. Meanwhile, Amnesty International is urging Malta to launch an independent public inquiry into violations of the rights of migrants and refugees at sea in its search-and-rescue area, amid strong concerns about Maltàs failure to safeguard such rights. The international NGO made its call for a public inquiry “with terms of reference and members able to command the trust of civil society,” as it made its submissions for the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Malta set to take place in January-February 2024. In its submissions, it emphasised the need for prompt action as it observed that that “the scale and gravity of the human rights violations against refugees and migrants documented in the period under review indicate that there was a marked regression in the level of respect for their rights.”
foto: Agenzia Fotogramma
(ITALPRESS).
