Migrants on board the Sea-Watch3, a
Dutch flagged German NGO run rescue ship at sea outside Italian
waters for almost two weeks, on Tuesday appealed for help saying
they felt "in prison" on the boat that Interior Minister Matteo
Salvini has barred from landing in Italy.
"We can't take it any more, we're like in prison here, help
us to disembark soon, to set our feet off this boat," said one
of the migrants in a post by the German NGO on the Facebook page
of 'Forum Lampedusa solidale', a solidarity group based on the
island of Lampedusa off which the Sea-Watch3 has been positioned
for 13 days.
"We are all tired, exhausted, worn out," said the post.
"Think of a person who has just got out of prison and has
fled Libya, who now finds himself sitting or lying here.
"Imagine how this person must feel".
Salvini, who has closed Italy's ports to NGO-run migrant
rescue vessels, has said the 43 migrants on board should go to
the Netherlands and Germany.
On Tuesday Salvini said the ship won't be allowed to dock in
Italy "even at Christmas".
"The Sea-Watch won't arrive in Italy, they can stay there
till Christmas," said the anti-migrant League party leader.
"In 13 days if they had really held dear the health of the
migrants they would have gone, and returned to the Netherlands."
He said "Italy does not have its line dictated by an NGO that
does not respect the rules".
Salvini added "this afternoon we are expecting the sentence
of the European Court of Human Rights on the Sea Watch appeal,
but whatever the Strasbourg court's decision is, our line will
not change.
"It's a Dutch ship of a German NGO, let Berlin and Amsterdam
resolve the question".
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