Tag: Press releases and announcements

This hearing has been especially important because it has been an opportunity to understand what the Law states about the regulation of maritime rescue; what have been and are the government’s obligations and those of the boats in the sea, as well as the deficiencies and inefficiencies that continue to characterise the authorities’ conduct. 

Reconstructing the facts of what happened has been useful for developing a better understanding of the chain of responsibility that in recent years has turned the Mediterranean into the most lethal border in the world because of the deliberate inaction of European institutions, the lack of governmental search and rescue organisations, and the criminal agreements made with unstable countries where human rights and life are systematically violated.

Among them was little Joseph, a six-month-old baby who was travelling with his young mother from the Ivory Coast. Our rescue team managed to recover all the people from the water, including the little boy, who was transferred to the Open Arms in critical condition and stabilized by our doctors on board.

After requesting urgent medical evacuation, more than 8 hours passed before the helicopter arrived, during which time the boy’s condition worsened and, despite our efforts, he did not survive. The baby’s body was buried in the cemetery on the island of Lampedusa.

Today, 2 years after that tragic day, we commemorate, together with his mother Hajay, his life and the lives of the thousands of people who continue to cross the Mediterranean in search of a better life. The private ceremony will take place at the Lampedusa cemetery.

Two years have passed since that day, but nothing has changed. Thousands of people seeking a dignified life have drowned in the Mediterranean, and in the last week, we have been forced, once again, to witness a shameful spectacle of propaganda by the Italian and European authorities about the lives of vulnerable people. Once again, they have placed humanitarian boats at the centre of a political tug-of-war. They even claimed to be able to select, from among the castaways on board, those who had the right to reach a safe port and those who, on the other hand, should be returned to the open sea, with totally arbitrary and, above all, illegal criteria.

These men, women and children were referred to  as “residual cargo” by the Italian authorities. They ordered “selective landings”, with human beings treated as objects by democratic countries that surely, should be benchmarks in the fulfilment of human rights and respect for the lives of all.

Just two days ago, another lifeless child arrived in Lampedusa due to hypothermia caused by the long hours spent in the sea. That is why, once again, from Open Arms, we raise our voice to say that all violations of rights must stop and consider life and humanity as the top priority, as well as respect for the rights of every human being.

Only in this way can we return to considering ourselves as women and men with conscience and dignity. Meanwhile, from civil society on board ships such as the Open Arms, let us continue to defend the life and dignity of people.

In their speeches, the authorities highlighted the work of Open Arms and expressed their solidarity in defense of human rights and the protection of the most vulnerable ones in the migratory corridor that is the Mediterranean.

The launching ceremony featured an unprecedented show on board by the theater company  La Fura dels Baus, created and designed for the occasion by Carlus Padrissa to celebrate this new asset of the humanitarian fleet, whose base port will be the city of Barcelona , place where it has been registered. The event was also attended by the singer Joan Dausà, who performed, among other songs, the song “Com plora el mar”, and the mezzo-soprano Mar Esteve. The event was open to all citizens and began with a maritime rescue drill in front of the Rambla de Mar footbridge, followed by an artistic performance on the deck of the ship, where aerial human nets symbolized human brotherhood.

More than 40 volunteers participated in the event, ensuring that the show had a great reception and attracted the attention of crowds of people who came to see such an exciting performance. The citizen presence confirmed the words of Oscar Camps, founder of the NGO, according to whom “Open Arms Uno will be an ambassador of citizenship wherever it goes“.

The “Open Arms Uno”, built in Norway in 2000, was donated by the president of the NGO Solidaire, the Argentine filmmaker and philanthropist Enrique Piñeyro, and is one of the largest maritime rescue vessels in Europe. The new ship is 66 meters long, 15 meters wide and has a tonnage four times greater than that of the old Open Arms tug. It has a 353 square meter deck where a helicopter can land in case of emergency and evacuation. It is equipped with 4 semi-rigid boats, has 31 places for crew and a hospital with 26 beds and will allow us to accommodate some 300 people, a number that, in case of emergency and without endangering the conditions of the ship, could be increased up to a thousand .

The Open Arms Uno will be a fundamental asset of our fleet to protect people facing the largest mass grave in the world, the Mediterranean. And it will be the ship of all citizens, who support and sustain us from land.

The new flagship is four times heavier than the “Open Arms” tugboat and has a 353-square-meter deck on which a helicopter can land in case of emergency or evacuation.

The ship. It will carry four semi-rigid boats on board, also known as RHIB, and it will allow us to give shelter to 300 people, a number that, in case of emergency and without endangering the conditions of the embarkation, could be extended to a thousand. In addition, it has 31 places for the crew and a hospital with 26 beds.  

We need your help

The “Open Arms Uno” is prepared for the massive rescue in the sea. It will help us save more people, protect the lives of the most vulnerable ones and fulfill the obligation that any embarkation or person has to help any life in danger at sea, as stipulated by the Law of the Sea and international agreements.

This ship is also yours, all the citizens that give us support from land to continue protecting the lives of the most vulnerable ones at sea.

But the operation costs of the “Open Arms Uno” will be bigger. Because of this, we need your help now more than ever to continue fulfilling our commitment to not leave any life adrift.

Will you help us?

Graphic material:

Santi Palacios

This film is starring by international actors and actesses such as Eduard Fernández, Dani Rovira, Anna Castillo and Sergi López, and has been directed by Marcel Barrena. We have worked closely with its development since its beginnings, with the objective that the result reflects the urgency, the sensations and the dramaric situation qe live during the humanitarian crisis on the Greek coast.

The Mediterranean Sea was then -and still is- a battlefield in which survival is at stake, a place that the deliberated inaction by the UE has made the largest common grave on the planet. We, instead, firmly believe that every life counts, and this explains why participating in this film, despite the difficulties involved in a project as complicated as turning a film into an awareness-raising tool. 

We are very pleased with this project because we believe that it brings to cinemas this deadly sea in which we sail and where so many people face each other daily fleeing war, persecution of poverty. That’s why we encourage you watch it, explore all the extra material available, and share it on your social media. 

During these 21 days, the TAR of Lazio sentenced for the suspension of the ban on entry into territorial waters. Moreover, 28 minors travelling alone could be disembarked by order of the Court of Minors of Palermo; and 41 medical evacuations, requested and obtained on the grounds of physical and psychological fragility: “It refers to a situation of great physical and mental discomfort, of profound psychological affectation, and of very high emotional tension that may have provoked difficult-to-control reactions, of which, moreover, the attempt to reach the island swimming was only a prelude.” That is the statement on how Agrigento’s attorney described the situation on board of the Open Arms. Consequently, he ordered the immediate landing, right after 12 people had risked their lives by jumping into the sea in an attempt to reach the coast by swimming.

The NGO Open Arms has been filed as a civil indictment alongside some of the rescued people during this difficult mission and other humanitarian organizations. This morning the judge, after evaluating the documentation submitted, has decided to accept the defense’s request and adjourn the hearing until March 20, 2021 in order to request the necessary documents and translations.

January 9^th has been a decisive day for the organization, a historical date. We hope that the open trial will serve to restore important truths: it will not be a matter of judging only the former minister of the Interior, but of marking a watershed in the direction of European policy on migration, relief omissions, announced shipwrecks, agreements with countries that systematically violate human rights.

For years, from Open Arms we have shown that we have always respected international conventions and that we have defended the life and fundamental rights of every human being. We hope that this process will consolidate this once and for all, clarifying the responsibilities of European governments and the importance of the work and commitment of humanitarian vessels that have operated in the Mediterranean in recent years.