Rome, Italy – An Italian court acquitted the former crew members of the migrant rescue ship Aquarius of charges of illegal waste disposal.
The court thus concluded an eight-year-long case that began with the opening of the investigation.
Humanitarian aid organizations welcomed the ruling, viewing it as confirmation of the safety of
their procedures during rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
The end of an eight-year case
The NGO SOS Méditerranée announced that an Italian court has acquitted the former crew members of the Aquarius rescue ship.
These acquittals followed legal proceedings initiated by an investigation launched by prosecutors in Sicily
into the disposal of waste generated during migrant rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.
Italian authorities seized the ship in 2018 after a year-long investigation.
The investigation involved approximately 24 crew members and aid workers.
Accusations of illegal waste disposal
Prosecutors in Catania accused the ship’s crew of disposing of migrants’ clothing, food scraps,
and medical waste without adhering to procedures for handling infectious medical waste.
The prosecution argued that this posed a risk to public health in Italian during 2017 and 2018.
The prosecution alleged that the crew’s aim was to reduce waste disposal costs.
Throughout the investigation, SOS Méditerranée denied any wrongdoing,
maintaining that all waste was handled in accordance with regulations.
ruling was welcomed, and similar cases are anticipated
The organization welcomed the acquittals, stating that they affirmed
the legality of the procedures it followed during the rescue operations.
Doctors Without Borders, which partnered with the organization in operating the ship at the time,
also expressed hope that the ruling would pave the way for the acquittal of other members of its crew.
These individuals are facing a separate trial in Catania on similar charges related to the rescue ship Vos Prudence.
