At 4:30 p.m. today, the ship MEDITERRANEA entered and docked at the Sciangula pier in Porto Empedocle. Three hours after its arrival, at 7:35 p.m., the disembarkation operations for all 92 rescued people on board were just completed.

In the meantime, around 6 p.m., a “warning notice” was issued by the Port Authority of Porto Empedocle, ordering the ship MEDITERRANEA, “after the disembarkation of minors only, to immediately resume navigation with the remaining migrants on board toward the originally assigned POS (Place of Safety), identified as the port of Livorno.”

We are facing an absurd situation: on the one hand, the authorities have clearly recognized the physical and mental vulnerability conditions that would not have allowed the shipwreck survivors to endure another three days of navigation and further suffering toward the distant port of Livorno.

On the other hand, with this warning, the authorities are threatening unjustified reprisals against the ship MEDITERRANEA—guilty only of having fulfilled its duty to protect the fundamental rights to life and care of the rescued people, in full respect of maritime and humanitarian law, both international and national.