A situation that could have been solved in two days, was resolved in nearly 20. Those rescued on the two ships Sea Watch 3 and Sea Eye spent weeks without being able to disembark in a safe harbor. Even Pope Francis had to appeal to European governments.
POPE FRANCIS
'I call on European leaders to demonstrate concrete solidarity toward these people.'
GIORGIA LINARDI
Spokeswoman, Sea Watch Italy
'These are appeals that show there is a different society instead of the political direction the European Union member states are undertaking. The pope's plea was a call we not only listen to, but that we appreciate and it gives us the strength to move forward. It makes us feel less alone.'
Giorgia was aboard Sea Watch 3, sharing in the uncertainty of these 32 rescued people, whom Europe suggested to return to Libya. Therefore, one of the rescued, believing he had to return to Libya, threw himself into the sea from Sea Watch 3 to try to reach Malta by swimming.
GIORGIA LINARDI
Spokeswoman, Sea Watch Italy
'It was a desperate gesture by a Libyan person. Libya is the country where Europe asks us to take the rescued. There, they will be imprisoned, and this young man lived it for four years, entering in and out of those jails. Every day they tortured him with electric shocks, beat him on the soles of his feet and beat him with a rifle. He also witnessed his little brother be murdered.'
As terrible as they may seem, stories like this are common in many of the rescued people. The Mediterranean NGOs demand a common response of openness from all the governments and ports in the European Union.
They want to be allowed to continue saving lives, even though they are sometimes accused of favoring illegal immigration. Therefore, they propose a strategy to save them from the Mediterranean.
RICCARDO GATTI
Head of Mission, Open Arms
'If there is not an operation at sea, if the NGOs disappear, it will not be like what some think, that if there are no NGOs, there will be no deaths. No, there will be many more deaths, but unfortunately it will not be known.'
Open Arms is the NGO founded by Spaniard Óscar Camps, who personally explained his work to Pope Francis. He gave him this vest of a girl they could not save. The pope, deeply moved by the story, kept it. To this day, it is still in the Vatican offices that help with migrants and refugees.
