ROME (AP) — An Italian court on Friday dismissed a long-running case against the crew of three humanitarian organizations, dropping charges accusing them of collaborating with smugglers as they helped rescue thousands of migrants at sea.
The judges in the Sicilian city of Trapani decided not to proceed to trial against 10 crew members involved in the so-called Iuventa case, named after the rescue vessel operated by German nonprofit Jugend Rettet.
Staff members from Jugend Rettet, Save The Children and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) were fully acquitted from all charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
Italian prosecutors started the case in 2017, accusing the crew members of serving as “taxis” for migrants rather than rescuing them. The rescue teams were alleged to have coordinated their search-and-rescue actions with human traffickers off Libya, returning dinghies and boats to smugglers to be reused, while rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean whose lives were not in real danger.
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn't happen this week
Wine in bed, skiing to the pub
Avid traveler documents his WILD journey to Utupua, one of the most REMOTE outcrops in the world
A trip that'll be frozen in my memory forever: I survived
Texas spring signals time for Ewers to slow down and enjoy football in 2024 before NFL draft
Moment car almost smashes into a horse as police release footage of heart
California architect builds incredible miniature Disneyland in his backyard
A brush with Van Gogh in picture
Taylor Swift leaves QR codes with secret meanings in Sydney and Melbourne ahead of the much
Government backs trust tax rate exemptions
Revealed: Why you should always take your own sandwiches to the airport
Jetstar passenger left speechless after flight attendant knocked back his simple request