Italy: Rome 'violated boat migrant rights' in deportation to Libya

Strasbourg, 23 Feb. (AKI) - The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday ruled that Italy violated the rights of two dozen African migrants it deported to Libya in 2009 after they were intercepted at sea near the Italian island of Lampedusa.

The 11 Somalians and 13 Eritreans were among some 200 people aboard three vessels in May 2009 when they were intercepted by the Italian Coast Guard and sent back to Libya, from where they disembarked.

The deportation was carried out under the 2008 bilateral agreement between Italy and Libya to jointly patrol the Libyan shores.

The migrants were not questioned or identified and were subject to ill-treatment at the hands of Libyan authorities, a violation of the 1951 Geneva Convention, the ECHR said Thursday in a statement on its decision in the case, Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy.

Italy will be required to pay 15,000 euros to each of the plaintiffs, the ruling said.

Libya had been the shore of departure for thousands of African migrants who paid to reach Italian shores by boat. The agreement between the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi came under attack by human rights advocates who claimed that possible eligibility for refugee status was disregarded.