Brussels, January 11 (RHC)-- In the Mediterranean, the government of Malta has allowed nearly 50 asylum seekers who had been stranded at sea for weeks to come ashore on two rescue vessels.
The decision ended a 19-day standoff that saw other European Union members deny a port of entry to the migrants, in a move that’s been blasted by human rights groups as “shameful.”
Aboard the Sea-Watch 3 vessel, run by a German humanitarian group, there were cheers Wednesday as news of an agreement to process the asylum seekers spread.
An increasing number of asylum seekers are dying at sea, after Italy’s right-wing government moved last year to deny migrant rescue ships entry at Italian ports.
After weeks stranded at sea, asylum seekers granted access to Malta
Related Articles
Commentaries
MAKE A COMMENT
All fields requiredMore Views
- UN special rapporteur warns Israel's crimes in Gaza could keep International Court of Justice busy at The Hague for 50 years
- Arab countries at United Nations declare full support for new UN Security Council resolution that calls for permanent ceasefire in Gaza
- Israeli forces raped, tortured and executed Palestinian women at Al-Shifa Hospital
- International Labor Organization says profits from forced labor at nearly one-quarter of a trillion dollars
- Analysts say UK court ruling opens way for Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States soon