Six rescuers from the humanitarian group Mediterranea Saving Humans stood trial today in Ragusa, accused of human trafficking for their efforts to save lives in the Central Mediterranean, reported activist David Yambio.
Their supporters, including the collective Refugees in Libya, condemned the proceedings as a farce and a blatant attempt to criminalize solidarity.
The six rescuers, who have risked their lives to save migrants from drowning at sea, now face prosecution for doing what many say is the duty of states: rescuing people fleeing war, slavery, and detention in Libya. Critics argue this trial is not about trafficking, but an effort to silence those who challenge Europe’s border regime.
Last Saturday in Rome, Refugees in Libya—a group of survivors of abuse and detention—held a symbolic “Refugee Tribunal”. There, they judged Italian political leaders, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio. The tribunal found these officials responsible for the deaths, torture, and enslavement of migrants, declaring them guilty of crimes against humanity.
“These same political figures now prosecute rescuers for doing what the Italian state failed to do: save human lives at sea. If justice meant anything, they would be the ones sitting in court, not those who rescued people from death,” stated Refugees in Libya.
The organization pointed to years of inaction and complicity by European governments.
“To the Italian government: you freed war criminals in Libya, but prosecute sea rescuers. To Europe: you fund the camps where we were enslaved and call it migration management. You are guilty. Not them,” it added.
The Ragusa trial, they say, represents a broader crackdown on humanitarian action. “It’s about silencing solidarity, criminalising humanity, and defending a border system built on torture, racism, and death.”
Refugees in Libya demanded immediate action: the suspension of the Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding, compensation for survivors, freedom for rescuers, and an end to Europe’s complicity in abuses against migrants in Libya and at sea.
“Saving a life is not a crime. The real trial has only just begun. We will continue to name the perpetrators, expose the lies, and stand beside those who act when states abandon humanity.”
As the Ragusa trial unfolds, the world’s attention turns to the Mediterranean, where the fate of sea rescuers and the battle for migrant rights converge.
