Migrant Rescuers Vindicated After Italy Court Drops Trafficking Charges

Rome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Apr, 2024) An Italian court threw out charges Friday against crew members of migrant rescue ships, ending a controversial case seven years after the government accused them of colluding with traffickers.

Crew members of the "Iuventa" charity ship, operated by German NGO Jugend Rettet, announced that the court in Trapani, Sicily had "(cleared) all defendants following a seven-year odyssey".

"This case stands as the longest, most expensive, and most extensive proceedings against SAR (Search-and-Rescue) NGOs, including two years of preliminary hearing with over 40 hearings," the Iuventa crew members said in a statement.

The court on Friday followed the surprise recommendation by prosecutors in February to dismiss all charges in the long-running case that rights groups have slammed as politically motivated.