Amnesty welcomes Government offer of refuge to stranded migrants

Amnesty International Ireland has welcomed the Government’s offer of refuge to 20-25 people who were stranded on a ship that was refused docking in a number of countries.

Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said it was a “clear example of what a Europe built on solidarity could function and look like”.

The search-and-rescue ship MV Lifeline was stranded in the Mediterranean with 233 migrants on board for days.

It was not allowed to dock in Malta until a number of European governments agreed to house some of the migrants on board.

Mr O’Gorman warned: “Leaving people stranded at sea is a cruel way to stoke political hysteria, especially when it is clear that the actual solution is European leaders working together to fix the broken asylum system.”

He added: “Europe also needs to refrain from further externalising border control and refugee protection.

“Forcing people back to Libya, including by allowing the Libyan coastguard to take people back, makes Europe complicit in the horrific human rights abuses people face there. They should instead focus on building a fair asylum system based on solidarity.

“We urge all European states to come up with a solution that ensures the safety of those aboard these boats, that access to international protection remains at the heart of this solution and that Member States shares the responsibilities for reception and processing.”