NATO ships, planes left African refugees stranded in Mediterranean to die

[Karmadillo]

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/may2011/liby-m10.shtml

The British Guardian newspaper published an investigative report Monday documenting the case of African refugees who were left to die in the early days of the war against Libya by NATO and European authorities who spotted their vessel drifting in the Mediterranean but made no effort to rescue them.

The newspaper, citing the account of survivors and an Eritrean priest in Rome who was one of the last people to communicate with the stranded boat, said the passengers were left to drift in open waters for 16 days, even though the Italian coastguard had been alerted and the vessel had been seen by a military helicopter and an aircraft carrier.

<edit>

International maritime law requires all vessels, including military ones, to answer distress calls from nearby and to offer help whenever possible. Refugee rights groups are demanding an investigation into the deaths. UNHCR spokeswoman Laura Boldrini said, “The Mediterranean cannot become the wild west. Those who do not rescue people at sea cannot remain unpunished.”

Father Zerai, the Eritrean priest in Rome, was more blunt, saying: “There was an abdication of responsibility which led to the deaths of over 60 people, including children. That constitutes a crime, and that crime cannot go unpunished just because the victims were African immigrants and not tourists on a cruise liner.”

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[Warren Stupidity]

1. They were too busy preventing a blood bath. nt.

[hootinholler]

2. Bullshit.

If a carrier saw them, there were other ships around. One should have been dispatched to attend to them. By maritime law it should have been done.

-Hoot

[Warren Stupidity]

3. sarcasm impaired?

[hootinholler]

4. Perhaps.

It was out of character for you.

-Hoot