Suspected breach of the rights of the migrants rescued by the vessel Diciotti

30.8.2018

Question for written answer E-004396-18
to the Commission
Rule 130
Cécile Kashetu Kyenge (S&D) , Patrizia Toia (S&D) , Michela Giuffrida (S&D) , Daniele Viotti (S&D) , Brando Benifei (S&D) , Renata Briano (S&D) , Silvia Costa (S&D) , Nicola Danti (S&D) , Isabella De Monte (S&D) , Enrico Gasbarra (S&D) , Elena Gentile (S&D) , Luigi Morgano (S&D) , Alessia Maria Mosca (S&D) , Pina Picierno (S&D) , Giuseppe Ferrandino (S&D) , Andrea Cozzolino (S&D) , Mercedes Bresso (S&D) , Roberto Gualtieri (S&D)

On 20 August 2018, the Italian authorities authorised the vessel Diciotti to dock in the port of Catania without allowing the 177 migrants on board, who had been rescued between 15 and 16 August, to disembark.

On 22 August, 27 minors were allowed to disembark; the remaining 148 migrants received authorisation to do so between 25 and 26 August.

1. Does the Commission not consider that the refusal to permit the migrants to disembark breached their right of access to the asylum procedure, bearing in mind also the assumed nationality of the migrants, most of whom were Eritrean and therefore ‘in clear need of international protection’?

2. Does the Commission not consider that the prolonged deprivation of liberty, as well as the fact that the migrants were compelled to stay on board in overcrowded conditions, mixed together, could be considered to constitute a probable breach of Articles 5 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights?

3. What view does it take of the apparent transfer of some of the disembarked migrants from the vessel Diciotti to Albania — a country outside the common European asylum system — and above all, will it check whether their consent was obtained before they were transferred to a country outside the EU, and whether they were informed of their rights first?