Lawyers say EU policies had led to a rise in the number of migrants dying in their attempts to reach Europe.
Documents have been submitted to the International Criminal Court , charging the European Union with “crimes against humanity” over the deaths of African migrants and refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya into Europe.
According to the International Organization for Migration`s Missing Migrant Project, over 540 people have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea so far this year with 107 of those in just the last few months. The numbers are expected to continue to rise as the summer season approaches, when calmer weather means more migrant crossings.
“The EU transition from a Search and Rescue perspective to a repressive perspective didn't work out because the migrants simply had nothing to lose. Individuals planning to cross the Med were ready to take the risk of drowning to get to Europe. These accusations against NGOs were being echoed by far-right activists and politicians across the EU. In Sicily, local prosecutor Carmelo Zuccaro admitted he has "no evidence", but has not stopped repeating claims that NGOs are working with smugglers.
The damage of the accusations against NGOs conducting SARs was already done with a growing economically-disenfranchised Italian public who were easily persuaded that it was “migrants” and not “politicians” to blame for their economic woes by the time researchers could debunk the myth.
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