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NEU Senior Regional Support Officer
NGO wins legal battle to restart human rights monitoring mission in the Aegean
The Mare Liberum in the Aegean Sea [Mare Liberum]

RIGHTS campaigners who monitor Greece and Turkey’s handling of the migrant crisis in the Aegean Sea won a court case against a German government ruling yesterday that was preventing their ship from leaving the Greek island of Lesbos.

On April 23 the German Transport Ministry gave the Mare Liberum, a 69ft yacht operated by a charity of the same name, an order of suspension requiring the vessel to fulfil the same safety checks as freighter ships.

Mare Liberum wins in court! The Ministry of Transport led by the right-wing CSU politician Andreas Scheuer has no legal basis to prevent non-profit associations from civil sea rescue and human rights monitoring. https://t.co/qyBMDOxsmw

— Mare Liberum e.V. (@teammareliberum) May 15, 2019

The 65 people rescued are now cared for aboard the Sea-Watch 3. Among them are 11 women, 2 babies, 5 children and 8 unaccompanied minors. Many are exhausted and dehydrated. We have requested a #PortOfSafety and await instructions. #DefendSolidarity pic.twitter.com/Tom6sBtber

— Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) May 15, 2019
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