ANSA: The Spanish NGO Open Arms migrant rescue ship which on Tuesday said it had rescued a woman and recovered the bodies of another woman and her child off Libya on Wednesday set off for Spain after Interior Minister Matteo Salvini accused it of lying.
“Docking in an Italian port Presents many critical factors,” the NGO said. “The first are the words of Interior Minister Matteo Salvini who described our reconstruction as lies and insults.
Italy had assigned Catania as the port of landing of the Open Arms and had offered to evacuated the injured woman, as did Malta.
Earlier Open Arms published the photos of the woman and child who allegedly drowned because of inaction by the Libyan coast guard.
“This is the consequence of Italy’s new policy” of discouraging NGOs and shutting Italy’s ports to foreign NGOs, Open Arms said.
Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said “we do not deem any longer applicable the Sophia mission rules which see Italy as the sole place of landing for migrants rescued by us”.
