This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
Italian Judge Frees German Migrant Rescue Captain ¶
On July 2, 2019, an Italian judge ruled that German migrant rescue captain Carola Rackete was free to go, three days after her arrest for docking with 40 migrants aboard her rescue ship in defiance of an Italian ban.
Carola Rackete, 31, was arrested after hitting a police speedboat while entering the port of the southern island of Lampedusa on Saturday in her vessel, which had been banned from docking by Italian authorities.
The judge's decision came after a two-week stand-off at sea, during which Rackete had faced charges of abetting illegal immigration and forcing her way past a police vessel that tried to block the Sea-Watch 3.
According to Sea-Watch, the judge considered Rackete had acted 'in the performance of a duty', to save lives at sea, and had no choice but to come to Italy as Libya and Tunisia could not be considered safe ports.
Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini reacted furiously to the judge's decision, calling Rackete a 'danger to national security' and promising to expel her as soon as possible.
However, Salvini's decision must first be cleared by the court.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called for Rackete's release following judicial proceedings 'based on the rule of law', while Salvini responded by saying Maas should 'invite his fellow citizens not to break Italian laws'.
