Italian Court Orders Compensation to NGO for 2019 Incident
A court in Palermo decreed on Wednesday that the Italian government must compensate the German NGO Sea-Watch with 76,000 euros (approximately $89,680). This ruling stems from an incident involving an illegal migrant boat in 2019.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her astonishment, calling the decision “a ruling that leaves us speechless.”
Back in June 2019, a Sea-Watch ship, led by German captain Carola Rakete, lingered near the Italian island of Lampedusa for several days with around 40 illegal migrants aboard after Italian officials denied it entry to port.
On June 29, Rakete took matters into her own hands, colliding her vessel with an Italian border police boat to force the migrants’ boat to dock. She was arrested but was later released after an Italian court intervened. The Sea-Watch ship remained detained from July 12 to December 19, 2019, until the Palermo court ordered its return following an urgent appeal from Sea-Watch.
According to Rai News, the Palermo court’s ruling requires the Italian state to reimburse Sea-Watch for expenses related to port access, fuel, legal fees, and agency costs incurred between October and December 2019.
This ruling from Palermo comes shortly after a separate court in Rome blocked the deportation of Redouan Larregh, a 53-year-old Algerian illegal immigrant deemed a potential threat to Italian society. Larregh has an extensive criminal record, with 23 convictions for various offenses spanning from 1999 to 2023. Despite this, the court not only halted his deportation but also mandated the government pay him €700 in compensation for what it described as “degrading” deportation procedures.
Sea-Watch responded positively to the court’s ruling, noting that it demonstrates support for civil disobedience, even as the government enforces a “maritime blockade” and criticizes NGOs involved in sea rescues.
In a social media video posted Wednesday evening, Meloni described the Rome court’s decision as “shameful,” but suggested it was “minor” compared to the ruling favoring Sea-Watch. She reflected on Rakete’s actions in 2019 and stated that the judges’ ruling left her nearly speechless.
Meloni questioned whether it is the responsibility of the judiciary to “uphold the law or to reward those who boast about disregarding it.” She expressed concern that the judiciary’s series of what she termed “objectively unreasonable decisions” might be sending a message against the government’s efforts to combat mass illegal immigration.
“We’re particularly determined,” she added, acknowledging the possibility of disappointing some people. “We will uphold our promises to the Italian public and do everything possible to enforce our laws and protect our borders.”
