Day #11

The iuventa-crew filed a criminal complaint to the Trapani Prosecutor’s Office, requesting an investigation into the abandonment and destruction of the rescue ship Iuventa.

On 12 February 2023, members of the Iuventa crew filed a criminal complaint with the Prosecutor's Office in Trapani, requesting an investigation into the abandonment, deterioration, and partial destruction of the rescue vessel Iuventa while it was under state custody.

Before its seizure in August 2017, the Iuventa was an important part of the civil rescue fleet operating in the Central Mediterranean and assisted more than 23,000 people in distress at sea. After nearly five years in the custody of the authorities, technical inspections carried out in 2022 found the vessel in a severely deteriorated condition. According to expert reports, the ship had received no adequate maintenance, essential components were no longer functional, and some equipment had allegedly been stolen.

The complaint argues that the authorities responsible for the vessel's custody failed to protect and maintain it despite repeated warnings about its deteriorating condition and reports of unauthorised access, theft, and vandalism. In December 2022, the investigating judge in Trapani ordered repair and restoration measures for the vessel.

Negligence in custody is a crime under Italian law. We expect a thorough investigation which will assess if and who violated their duty to maintain the perfect functionality of the seized sea rescue vessel, which was completely abandoned.

The Italian state has not only reduced the capacity of the civil fleet by seizing the iuventa, but has abandoned the ship and contributed to the destruction of an asset that could have saved lives. In a context where the Italian government and state policies are obsessed with hindering the operations of the civil fleet, directly and indirectly violating the fundamental rights of people on the move, including the right to life, we consider the confiscation of rescue assets and their destruction as part of the same strategy.

Since the seizure of the iuventa, according to IOM – Missing Migrants Project, at least 10,000 people have lost their lives in the Central Mediterranean, and more than 100,000 have been intercepted and kidnapped by the so-called Libyan coast guard.