We Keep On Fighting
Take action to make a change
Imagine this: Your own government is trafficking people. It pays and creates criminal gangs, arms and trains them to abduct human beings at sea, drag them into lawless camps and lock them up. Without trial. Without limit. Under the most brutal conditions. And if you try to support the survivors of this horror, you yourself become the target of state repression.
Sounds dystopian? That’s daily reality at Europe’s borders. The EU bankrolls Libyan militias to stop people from crossing the sea, to cage them without trial. Slavery, rape, torture and murder against people on the move - the United Nations actively speaks of crimes against humanity in Libya. On top, in contrast to European NGOs, people on the move get little to no attention and often do not have the means for legal representation to struggle for their rights against European governments.
But enough is enough. For 10 years, civil sea rescue has been providing first aid in the Mediterranean. For that we have been blocked, criminalized, slandered. Under Italy’s current far-right government alone, our rescue ships have been detained in port for over XXXX days. That’s why we are joining forces now stronger than ever - to defend human rights and international maritime law together.
Vision
Ten years after the long summer of migration we launch the Justice Fleet - the largest alliance of civil search and rescue organizations ever. Our goal: to act together, to strengthen solidarity networks with those trapped in Libya, to fight back political attacks, and to defend human rights. We want to create public pressure to make political change happen.
End unlawful detentions.
No arbitrary blockades of rescue ships. No lawless prisons in Libya locking up people on the move. No prison sentences for refugees forced to steer their escape boats. Protection for people on the move - and for all who stand with them.
Protect international law: Scrap the Piantedosi Decree.
End the bureaucratic sabotage of rescue operations by Italian authorities. Stop trying to force us to obey illegal orders of violent militias like the so-called Libyan Coast Guard.
Stop the instrumentalization of Libya.
Libya must no longer serve as Europe’s mega-prison and battleground. No boats, no cash, no training for Libyan militias. No new Italy–Libya memorandum.
No more distant port assignments.
No weeks-long detours across Italy. Survivors must be disembarked quickly - and allowed to relocate in a fair and self-determined way.
Crimes must have consequences.
Those responsible for crimes against humanity in Libya and on the Mediterranean must be held accountable. Justice for people left to die at sea and on land.
For the right move - safe and legal pathways
Human rights are unconditional. Evacuate Libya’s privatized prisons and grant safe passage for those searching protection and a better life to come to Europe. That’s the only way to stop the dying at sea. Human rights are for everyone or for no one.
Alliance
14 Ships
1 Plane
+10.000 activists
10+ support organizations
+155.000 Rescued
We keep on fighting.
We are 14 ships, 1 aircraft and thousands of activists. And we will continue to fight for human rights at sea!
We defend the law – even if that means refusing illegitimate orders from Italian authorities. We will not be forced to obey illegal orders of militias such as the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and enable endless cycles of illegal pullbacks, torture and other human rights violations.
We stick together. An attack on one ship or airplane is an attack on the entire fleet. We share resources and expertise to publicly denounce and ward off political repression.
We stand with people on the move - even when governments try to criminalize people's agency and solidarity. Over 32,000 deaths since 2014 and increasing political repression, and yet no public outrage. The European Union and its member states break international law every day - the pushbacks, the prisons, the torture. Enough is enough.
We go to court – against state arbitrariness in Italy and elsewhere. Because they are breaking the law; and we’re winning in court. Since 2023, we have already freed XX ships and suspended XX financial penalties. In addition, numerous court cases have shown that any assistance in the abduction of people to Libya is illegal.
We speak up. Together. At sea, in the media and on the streets. Against right-wing agitation and unjust laws. And you can be part of it!
Alliance Members
Supporters
- Alarm Phone —
- Associazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana (ARCI) —
- European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) —
- German Peace Society (DFG-VK) —
- LeaveNoOneBehind —
- Medico International —
- migration-control.info —
- Refugees in Libya —
- ResQ - people saving people —
- Seebruecke —
- United4Rescue —
Violeta Moreno-Lax, Professor of International Law
They break the law. We win in court.
The right to asylum was created after World War II as a lesson and a promise of protection from the Holocaust. Today, Italy, Germany, Malta, Frontex, and the EU are violating the right to asylum, attacking human rights, and violating international law. That is why we, civil sea rescue organizations, supported by international partners and based on UN reports, are bringing these crimes to court. And we are winning cases one after another. From the European Court of Human Rights to Italian courts, the verdict is clear: Europe's policies are illegal.
Defending the rights of people on the move
In 2019, refugees resisted their own abduction to Libya. They had been rescued from distress at sea by the merchant ship Vos Thalassa. The ship then headed for Libya. In December 2021, Italy's highest court ruled that refugees are allowed to resist being taken to Libya at sea as it is in line with international law — Libya isn't considered a safe haven by the courts, and such pushbacks are banned under international law.
Protect international law: abolish the Piantedosi decree
Since 2023, the Italian state has blocked xx search and rescue ships for doing nothing more than fulfilling their duty: saving lives. But we continue to fight: we are defending international law in the Mediterranean. For example: In March 2024, the ship Humanity 1 was subjected to a 20-day blockade. The ship's crew had rescued 77 people and was interrupted by Libyan militias using armed force during the rescue. At least one person drowned. But instead of suspending cooperation with the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, the Italian authorities detained the Humanity 1. The civil court of Crotone lifted the detention in the same month and ruled that the detention was illegal. The court confirmed that the so-called Libyan Coast Guard cannot be considered a competent authority to conduct rescue operations at sea, citing documented instances of armed aggression and human rights abuses. Libya itself cannot be designated as place of safety for disembarkation due to systemic violations against people on the move, including torture and lack of access to asylum. Numerous reports of people being shot while fleeing Libya further underscore the deadly consequences of legitimizing Libyan patrols under the guise of search and rescue.
Human life before orders
On July 8, 2025, the Italian Constitutional Court ruled that captains may only follow lawful instructions that are in accordance with the rules of sea rescue. Orders that endanger human life are not binding, and disobeying them can not be punished. This makes clear: instructions from the so-called Libyan Coast Guard are never lawful. In another case, the court in Crotone, Italy, ruled that the so-called Libyan Coast Guard and the so-called Libyan rescue coordination center are not legitimate rescue actors.
Italy bears responsibility
In the Vos Triton case, the Italian authorities coordinated the abduction of 170 people to Libya. The merchant ship Vos Triton had rescued the people from distress at sea and then, with the support of the Italian state, handed them over to the so-called Libyan Coast Guard. One person filed a lawsuit and an Italian court granted them a humanitarian visa. It was clearly established: Italy was responsible for the illegal abduction to Libya and had to mitigate the consequences.
Crimes must have consequences
On March 27, 2023, the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Libya stated: The EU and its member states support the so-called Libyan Coast Guard with money, boats, and equipment. In doing so, they are helping to carry out illegal abductions of refugees at sea and illegal detentions of those seeking protection in Libya. Although, UN experts clearly state that the EU is aiding and abetting crimes against humanity.
But in November 2022, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) filed a criminal complaint with the International Criminal Court against EU, Italian, Maltese, and Libyan officials. The reason: the systematic interception of people on the move on the high seas in the Mediterranean — supported by the EU, and coordinated by Italy, and Malta — constitutes crimes against humanity.
In France, a criminal complaint was filed against Fabrice Leggeri, the former director of Frontex and now a far-right member of the European Parliament. The human rights organizations Ligue des Droits de l'Homme and Utopia56, acting as joint plaintiffs, accuse him of crimes against humanity and torture in the Mediterranean.
In 2023, UN special rapporteurs criticized Italy for detaining the Geo Barents and Sea-Watch 5 on the basis of the Piantedosi decree. They called the blockades unfounded and warned that this law illegally blocks civil sea rescue, violates fundamental rights, and contravenes international maritime law.