The German captain of a charity-run ship that rescued more than 200 migrants in the Mediterranean in late June has dismissed any wrongdoing after Malta opened legal proceedings against him on Monday.

"Our mission was to save 234 people," Claus-Peter Reisch (pictured) said as he was due to face court on charges of ignoring official Maltese orders and breaking international law. "I'm not aware of having committed any crime."

Reisch is charged with using the boat in Maltese waters without proper registration or license, also incorporating the allegation that he entered Maltese waters illegally.

Reisch was in command of the "Lifeline" when it saved 234 migrants near the Libyan coast on June 21. The vessel, operated by the German charity Mission Lifeline, was able to dock in Malta on June 27 after the Maltese government initially refused to grant it entry.

Police impounded the ship and arrested Reisch upon arrival. On Monday, prosecutors called on the judge to order the ship's confiscation.

The court set bail at €10,000 euros, with Reisch ordered to deposit his passport with the court.

. Read more: Malta, Italy migrant spat leaves German rescue ship in limbo

 

 The German government has offered Reisch diplomatic aid during the process.

German comedian Jan Böhmermann has also offered his support, calling on people to donate money to a crowdfunding site to help finance Reisch's legal costs.

"In the first 3 days, more than 4,000 fans of the rule of law pooled together €83,000 [$97,000] for the [legal] defense and other legal costs for the Mission Lifeline team!" he wrote on Twitter.

Lifeline was the second migrant rescue ship to be refused docking rights in June. At the beginning of the month, the Aquarius, a French ship with more than 630 migrants on board, was forced to dock in Spain after Italy and Malta refused to grant it entry.

Mission Lifeline spokesman Ruben Neugebauer at the time claimed that Maltese threats to take legal action against Reisch constituted "part of the criminalization of NGO activities" by European governments.

The influx of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East has caused an anti-migrant backlash across the European Union.

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel is facing an uncertain future amid a dispute with her interior minister, Horst Seehofer, who has demanded that police reject certain refugees at the German border.

Speaking on Monday, Reisch accused EU countries of working harder to hinder rescue operations in the Mediterranean than trying to save lives.

"The EU accepts the dying for political reasons," he said. "It's repulsive."

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>The captain of a German NGO's migrant rescue vessel was released on bail Monday after attending a court hearing over the ship's alleged irregular registration, according to one of Lifeline's defense lawyers.

Claus-Peter Reisch captained the Lifeline to Malta on June 27 with 234 migrants on board, after six days in limbo in the Mediterranean Sea owing to a political spat.

A court in Valetta has accused the captain of alleged irregularities regarding the rescue vessel's registration, setting bail at 10,000 euros ($11,600), lawyer Daniel Amato told EFE.

While released on bail, Reisch would not be allowed to leave the island, must present himself to authorities once a week and was ordered to sleep on the boat.

The Lifeline was grounded as a precaution in the meantime while the matter was addressed.

The court ordered a search of the ship and scheduled the next hearing for July 5 at 11:30 am.

After picking up the migrants in the Central Mediterranean, Lifeline was denied docking permission by Italy, but granted it by Malta after an agreement was reached with other European countries to resettle those who were rescued.

While the boat operates under a Dutch flag, the government of the Netherlands said last week the ship was not registered with the country.

The NGO's defense has presented documents showing the vessel was registered at a sailing club as a recreational vessel, which the prosecution said meant it could not be used to conduct rescue operations.

The prosecution has said the only charge pressed against the captain for the moment was the registration irregularity, though it has not ruled out further charges.</s>MADRID - A Spanish NGO said Saturday it had rescued 59 migrants as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, drawing condemnation from Italy's far-right interior minister who said they were not welcome in his country.

The news comes a day after three babies were found dead and 100 more went missing in a shipwreck apparently caused by an explosion on board a boat that had set off from Libya.

It also follows a controversial deal reached by EU member states to stem the influx of migrants. The accord struck Friday includes the setting up of secure centres for migrants in the bloc, "disembarkation platforms" outside the bloc and sharing out refugees among member states. Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms said on Twitter the 59 migrants were now on board their ship "heading for a secure port".

"Despite the hurdles, we continue to protect the right to life of invisible people. Their stories on what they experienced (in) Libya are terrifying."

Italy's hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Facebook that the NGO's boat had reached the migrants' vessel before Libyan coastguards inside Libya's rescue operation zone.

"The nearest port is Malta, the organisation and flag are Spanish: they can forget about coming to an Italian port," he added. Malta's interior minister retorted on Twitter that the migrants had been rescued between Libya and Italy's Lampedusa.

"Stop spreading incorrect information by pointing the finger at Malta without any reason," Michael Farrugia said. It is unclear where the vessel will anchor.

Italy's new populist government and Malta earlier this month refused to let dock French NGO rescue ship Aquarius carrying 630 migrants. The move triggered an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help.

Malta then let another charity rescue boat, Lifeline, dock with 230 migrants aboard.

Earlier in June, Malta allowed charity rescue boat Lifeline to dock in its port with 230 migrants.</s>MADRID: A Spanish NGO said on Saturday it had rescued 59 migrants as they tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya, drawing condemnation from Italy’s far-right interior minister who said they were not welcome in his country.

The news comes a day after three babies were found dead and 100 more went missing in a shipwreck apparently caused by an explosion on board a boat that had set off from Libya.

It also follows a controversial deal reached by EU member states to stem the influx of migrants. The accord struck on Friday includes the setting up of secure centres for migrants in the bloc, "disembarkation platforms" outside the bloc and sharing out refugees among member states.

Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms said on Twitter the 59 migrants were now on board their ship "heading for a secure port".

"Despite the hurdles, we continue to protect the right to life of invisible people. Their stories on what they experienced in Libya are terrifying."

Italy’s hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said on Facebook that the NGO’s boat had reached the migrants’ vessel before Libyan coastguards inside Libya’s rescue operation zone.

"The nearest port is Malta, the organisation and flag are Spanish: they can forget about coming to an Italian port," he added.

Malta’s interior minister retorted on Twitter that the migrants had been rescued between Libya and Italy’s Lampedusa.

"Stop spreading incorrect information by pointing the finger at Malta without any reason," Michael Farrugia said.

It is unclear where the vessel will anchor. Italy’s new populist government and Malta earlier this month refused to let dock French NGO rescue ship Aquarius carrying 630 migrants. The move triggered an international outcry before Spain stepped in to help. Malta then let another charity rescue boat, Lifeline, dock with 230 migrants aboard.</s>VALLETTA (Reuters) - For the second time in a week, Malta on Monday detained a humanitarian vessel that normally rescues boat migrants off the coast of Libya, where two shipwrecks have claimed the lives of as many as 200 people in recent days.

Claus-Peter Reisch, the captain of the charity ship MV Lifeline, leaves the court after an arraignment on charges related to improper ship registration at the Courts of Justice in Valletta, Malta July 2, 2018. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi

The Sea Watch 3 vessel, operated by a German charity, requested to leave port after undergoing maintenance and the port authority refused, a Sea Watch spokeswoman said. The port authorities said only that the vessel’s status was under review.

Another humanitarian ship, Lifeline, was detained last week after Malta for the first time in years opened its port to a large number of migrants, some 230, when Italy refused it safe haven. A new Italian government including the League, a far right anti-immigrant party, took power last month and has shut Italian ports to charity ships carrying migrants.

Lifeline’s captain attended a court hearing in Malta on Monday in which the prosecutor said the ship was not properly registered. The groups operating both ships deny any wrongdoing.

“They are creating the conditions to make it impossible for non-governmental groups to operate at sea,” Sea Watch’s Giorgia Linardi said. “Against this background, people are dying and no one seems to care.”

In two separate incidents, as many as 204 migrants have drowned since Friday after being packed into unsafe vessels by smugglers, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said. The incidents raised the toll for this year above 1,000 people lost at sea.

The humanitarian groups say they are being wrongly targeted by governments — Malta and Italy — that are seeking to stem migrant arrivals to Europe, and they say the policy spearheaded by the new Italian government is causing deaths.

Italy’s far-right interior minister says the rescue ships are colluding with Libyan smugglers, a charge never proven in court and denied by the rescuers. Malta said last week it would no longer provide logistical support to the vessels under the suspicion they were acting illegally.

The flow of migrants into Europe has abated since a 2015 peak, with the number attempting the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Italy falling to tens of thousands from hundreds of thousands. The other main route, from Turkey to Greece, used by more than a million people in 2015, was shut two years ago.

But the journey by land through the Sahara and then across the Mediterranean remains world’s deadliest migration route, and as polarizing as ever in European politics. In addition to Italy, anti-immigrant parties are now firmly entrenched in the ex-Communist states of central Europe and won seats in the German parliament for the first time since the 1940s last year.

In Germany, the issue threatens to bring down Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition.

SPAIN

A humanitarian boat run by Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms is heading for Spain carrying 59 migrants after Italy and Malta refused it a port, the third such case in less than a month.

During a hearing on Monday, Malta police inspector Mario Haber questioned whether the Lifeline ship, which says it operates under a Dutch flag, should have been registered as a yacht instead of a commercial vessel.

Slideshow (11 Images)

“The yacht is not registered with the Netherlands. It is registered with a Dutch yacht club but it isn’t the flag state,” Haber said. The court appointed “experts” to board the ship and inspect its contents, including its computers, with the prosecution saying it could not rule out charges.

Magistrate Joe Mifsud set bail at 10,000 euros for Lifeline captain Claus-Peter Reisch, adding that he must stay on his ship and cannot leave the small island state. Another hearing will be held on Thursday.

“What kind of world are we living in when sea rescuers are criminalized?” Reisch said in a statement before the hearing.</s>It comes as the Captain of the first ship, The Lifeline attended a court hearing there on Monday.

The prosecutor says the ship was not properly registered but the groups operating both vessels deny any wrongdoing.

It's understood the German government has offered him diplomatic aid.

Neil Falzon, lawyer for Claus-Peter Reisch says, "From the captain's personal perspective, he feels that he's the victim of a campaign targeting NGOs and targeting refugees ultimately."

The Lifeline saved around 230 migrants when Italy refused to allow it to dock.

Since Friday, in two separate incidents, as many as 204 migrants have drowned.

The magistrate has set the bail at 10,000 Euro's adding he must stay on the ship and can't leave the island.

The 57-year old's due back in court again Thursday.</s>Rome, July 2 - Italy is to give Libya 10 motor launches and 2 ships to beef up its efforts to stop migrant trafficking according to a a draft of a decree issued Monday. The decree also earmarks 1.4 million euros over two years to maintain the vessels and train Libyan navy and coast guard personnel. Italy has already supplied Libya with other naval units and training to help stem the flow of migrants into Italy, a frontline country in the migrant crisis. Meanwhile the migrant-rescue NGO ship Seawatch was stopped in Malta. Italy has started closing its ports to NGOs that rescue migrants in the Mediterranean. Two have been forced to go to Spain and one to Malta.
The captain of MV Lifeline, a German migrant rescue ship that docked in Malta last week with 130 rescued migrants after Italy refused access, makes an initial court appearance in Valletta. He is charged with operating his ship illegally.