Étiquette : Communiqués de presse et annonces

Cette audience a été particulièrement importante car elle a permis de mieux comprendre ce qui est établi par la loi en matière de sauvetage en mer, quelles ont été et sont aujourd’hui les obligations des gouvernements et des navires en mer, ainsi que les déficiences et les inefficacités qui continuent de caractériser la conduite des autorités.

La reconstitution des événements de ces jours-là a été utile pour mieux comprendre la chaîne de responsabilités qui, ces dernières années, a fait de la Méditerranée la frontière la plus meurtrière du monde en raison de l’inaction délibérée des institutions européennes, de l’absence d’opérations gouvernementales de recherche et de sauvetage et des accords criminels conclus avec des pays instables où les droits de l’homme et la vie sont systématiquement bafoués.

Parmi eux se trouvait le petit Joseph, un bébé de six mois qui voyageait avec sa jeune mère depuis la Côte d’Ivoire. Notre équipe de sauvetage a réussi à récupérer toutes les personnes dans l’eau, y compris le petit garçon, qui a été transféré sur l’Open Arms dans un état critique et stabilisé par nos médecins à bord.

Entre le moment où nous avons demandé l’évacuation médicale urgente et l’arrivée de l’hélicoptère, plus de 8 heures se sont écoulées. Pendant ce temps, l’état du garçon s’est aggravé et, malgré nos efforts, il n’a pas survécu. Le corps du garçon est enterré dans le cimetière de l’île de Lampedusa.

Aujourd’hui, deux ans après ce jour tragique, nous commémorons sa vie et celle des milliers de personnes qui continuent à traverser la Méditerranée en quête d’une vie meilleure, avec sa mère Hajay. La cérémonie privée aura lieu au cimetière de Lampedusa.

Deux ans ont passé depuis ce jour, mais rien n’a changé. Des milliers de personnes en quête d’une vie digne se sont noyées dans la Méditerranée et, la semaine dernière, nous avons été contraints, une fois de plus, d’assister à un spectacle de propagande honteux de la part des autorités italiennes et européennes concernant la vie des personnes vulnérables. Une fois encore, ils ont placé les bateaux humanitaires au centre d’un bras de fer politique qui prétendait même pouvoir sélectionner, parmi les naufragés à bord, ceux qui avaient le droit d’atteindre un port sûr et ceux qui, au contraire, devaient être renvoyés en pleine mer, en utilisant des critères totalement arbitraires et, surtout, illégaux.

Les autorités italiennes ont qualifié ces hommes, femmes et enfants de « cargaison résiduelle » et ont ordonné des « débarquements sélectifs », des êtres humains traités comme des objets par des pays démocratiques qui devraient sans aucun doute être des références en matière de respect des droits de l’homme et de la vie de tous.

Il y a deux jours à peine, un autre enfant sans vie est arrivé à Lampedusa, victime d’une hypothermie due à de trop nombreuses heures passées en mer. C’est pourquoi, une fois de plus, à partir d’Open Arms, nous élevons la voix pour dire que toutes les violations des droits doivent cesser et considérer la vie et l’humanité comme la priorité absolue, ainsi que le respect des droits de chaque être humain.

C’est la seule façon de revenir à nous considérer comme des femmes et des hommes avec conscience et dignité. En attendant, depuis la société civile, à bord de navires tels que l’Open Arms, nous continuerons à défendre la vie et la dignité des personnes.

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 dramatic situation they 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.