Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Aid Groups Terminate Aquarius Migrant Rescue Operations

The aid groups Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee say they have been forced to end the migrant rescue operations of the Aquarius ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Aid groups Doctors Without Borders and SOS Mediterranee say they have been forced to end the migrant rescue operations of the Aquarius ship in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Aquarius has been docked in Marseille since October after Panama revoked its flag. Last month, Italian prosecutors ordered the seizure of the ship and accused Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, of illegally disposing 24 metric tons of medical and contaminated waste accumulated during rescues.

In a statement late Thursday, the aid groups said they made the decision because of "a sustained campaign, spearheaded by the Italian government and backed by other European states, to delegitimize, slander and obstruct aid organizations providing assistance to vulnerable people."

MSF says the Aquarius has assisted nearly 30,000 people since 2016.

Categories / Health, International

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...