Italy fines Eritreans under new law
Italy fines Eritreans under new law
Five Eritreans rescued off the Italian island of Lampedusa last week are facing fines from the Italian government.
The five Eriteans were the only survivors amongst 78 boat people who travelled in a crowded dinghy from Africa to Italy. The ANSA news agency reported that a prosecutor in Agrigente, Sicily, placed the five survivors under investigation.
Earlier this week the only female survivor spoke to the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera. Eritean-born Titi Tazrar claimed the passengers were ignored by vessels which passed by them during their journey. Tazrar said "(The vessels) gave us only food, water and petrol. Another boat gave us food and water but they didn't take us on board. Other boats didn't even approach us. We waved, we shouted, we pleaded for help but they pretended not to see us." The survivors will now be expected to pay between 5 000 and 10 000 euros for trying to enter Italy illegally.
Commenting on Italy's distribution of fines, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini accused the European Union of not finding a better solution to illegal immigration. Frattini said "Immigration is a European problem, which cannot be left only to the countries most exposed to it."
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