ROME: Italy’s top appeals court has established that sending sea migrants back to Libya is unlawful, a ruling hailed by charities and human rights groups. The Court of Cassation upheld the conviction of the captain of an Italian towboat, Asso 28, who in 2018 rescued 101 migrants from a rubber dinghy and returned them to Libya. The rescue took place in international waters about 105km off Libya, the court said. The Italian office of Amnesty International also hailed the verdict, and criticised the government for cooperating with Libyan authorities on migration. Under international humanitarian law, migrants cannot be forcibly returned to countries where they risk serious ill-treatment, and widespread migrant abuse has been extensively documented in Libya.
