Rome, Italy – On 11 September, the Italian Civil Court of Salerno ordered the suspension of the 60-day administrative detention of the Geo Barents, the search and rescue ship operated by Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

The Italian authorities had imposed the detention in question on the Geo Barents on 26 August for allegedly failing to provide timely information to the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC).

The court’s suspension order was based on the evidence provided by MSF in an appeal. The judge recognised that the Geo Barents had not contributed to creating any dangerous situation on board, as alleged previously in the detention order. On the contrary, according to the court, the rescue operation which the MSF team launched was both urgent and unavoidable. The court also acknowledged that the Libyan Coast Guard, which was on scene, had been informed in advance, when the rescue operation was happening in international waters.

The court ruled that the request by the Libyan Coast Guard for the Geo Barents to leave the rescue area could not be considered as coordination of the rescue operation, as no guidance was given on how that operation should be carried out. Furthermore, the court emphasised that enforcing the 60-day detention would irreversibly jeopardise the right of the ship to pursue its humanitarian objectives in accordance with the international laws and Italian constitutional values.