Paolo Biondi, a human rights lawyer, has written an Op-Ed for News Deeply’s Refugees Deeply. In the article Biondi argues that Italy’s support for the Libyan coast guard may violate the principle of non-refoulement - “the forced return of people to places where their lives or freedom would be threatened or where they would face a risk of torture.” Biondi suggests:
…all acts that constitute an exercise of jurisdiction require international human and refugee rights to be upheld as an obligation. While the exercise of authority and control seems to require a physical contact, some recent “contactless” activities by Italy may nevertheless represent de facto forms of control, exercise of authority or custody which may be an exercise of jurisdiction under the ECHR.It could mean that Italy may have an obligation to stop assisting Libyan authorities from sending migrants back to Libya, when they are picked up in international waters but have no physical contact with the Italians.
Click here to read the article in full.