If theyre found guilty, private vessels will be less likely to help stranded people at sea for fear of being prosecuted themselves.

The case of the El Hiblu 3, as the young men are now known, could have far-reaching effects on other migrants, advocates and researchers say: If theyre found guilty, private vessels will be less likely to help stranded people at sea for fear of being prosecuted themselvesas in the case of Claus-Peter Reisch, the captain of a Dutch vessel with Mission Lifeline, a nongovernmental organization active in migrant rescues. In 2018, the boat was held at sea for a week after rescuing 234 migrants. Malta eventually allowed its entry into port, only to confiscate the boat and charge the captain.

Although the norms are sometimes clear, its not clear who they apply to, said Erik Rsg, who teaches at the Department of Private Law at the University of Oslo. I think the new thing is that the same acts that were thought earlier as being acts of passion and helping migrants in need, they are now criminalized.

Meanwhile, migrants in Malta, which has come to rely on them for labor, can face brutal work conditions. During my visit, the name Jaiteh Lamin often came up. A 32-year-old migrant from Gambia, Jaiteh fell two stories from a construction site where he was working without a permit. He was seriously injured. In an attempt to cover up the accident, Jaitehs boss, a local contractor, took him to a rural road and left him. A passerby found him crying for help and saying that he thought he was going to die.

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These Three Migrants Were Rescued at Sea. Then They Were Charged With Terrorism. - The New Republic