Rome, August 21 (LaPresse) – Ten people were thrown into the sea last night north of Tripoli, according to a report by Mediterranea. "What happened during the night between August 20 and 21, 30 miles north of Tripoli in international waters of the central Mediterranean, is among the most serious and horrific things one could witness," reads the statement.
"Ten people were thrown into the sea with kicks and punches, at night, with waves over one and a half meters high, by a military-type vessel that approached the starboard side of our ship and tossed human beings into the water like garbage. Only the promptness and professionalism of our rescue teams prevented fatalities. But the Libyan militiamen have been taught by Italian and European authorities that these lives are worthless: they are commodified, whether to stop or enable departures, but on a human level, they are considered expendable lives."
"This is yet another demonstration of what the Mediterranean has become: a sea of camps, deportations, pushbacks, and over a thousand deaths at sea since January. Still, it also provides revealing insights. The 'Run Away Boat' (RAB) system — fast boats that pull alongside and then dump people, even directly into the sea as in this case — is part of the complex web of actors and interests operating in and around Libya in the human trafficking business."
"We cannot say with certainty if the military-type dinghy was one of those that, on Monday morning, August 18, in formation with seven others carrying armed and hooded militiamen, tried to intimidate us by repeatedly telling us to 'leave Libya'. What is certain is that it closely resembled those dinghies we photographed and monitored Monday, which returned in tight formation to the port of Al Zawiya after issuing threats."
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