November 13, 2022 — Rome (AFP)Leona Blankenstein couldn't believe what she was hearing when the Libyan coastguard threatened to blast her small plane out of the sky. Despite years of criticism by charities and human rights groups, Italy quietly renewed the accord earlier this month. In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy for intercepting and forcibly returning people to Libya, prompting a new approach. In October, investigative journalist Duccio Facchini revealed Italy spent another 6.65 million euros on 14 new speedboats for the Libyan coastguard just months ago. Amnesty said it is "disgraceful" Rome "continues to assist Libyan authorities in violating their people's human rights".

Source: Libya Today November 13, 2022 06:47 UTC