Wedding Memorial Speech

ASGI press release on the recent landings of immigrants from North Africa: The
Italian our responsibility and risk of new violations of the rule of law.
The thousands of migrants who arrived in Lampedusa in recent days are evidence of failed policies of externalization of border controls with which Italy has given to Europe as a mediator, even with the worst African dictators, to block migrants, among them many potential asylum seekers before they could reach our shores. As soon as I dropped the trusted allies that helped to arrest and intern migrants in the Maghreb, the departures are taken, e non è stato più possibile nasconderle come si era tentato di fare nei mesi scorsi, quando si avvertivano già le prime avvisaglie dell'attenuazione dei controlli di frontiera.
Dopo i primi tentativi di negare l'evidenza (gli sbarchi, che non si sono mai del tutto fermati, erano ripresi in modo significativo già nel mese di gennaio), il Ministro Maroni, sempre prodigo nell’alimentare la “fabbrica della paura” quale unica risposta ai clamorosi fallimenti della sua linea politica, ha prontamente evocato l'emergenza terrorismo senza tuttavia disporre di alcun elemento concreto.
L'ASGI ricorda che Italia, che reclama oggi l’intervento dell’Europa per una generica “ripartizione degli charges "has been at the helm of the European countries that have pushed for more political barrier against migrants and for the substantial reduction of entry for asylum seekers. Nothing has been done by the Italian Government, as the rest of the EU, to open up channels for legal entry, facilitate the mobility of people and help the transition to democracy in the Maghreb countries.
Faced with the current crisis situation, the Minister calls for "the immediate deployment of a mission for attivita'di Frontex patrol and interception in the area off the coast of Tunisia for the control of flows". Yet, after the scandal of the mass return made in 2009 from Italy to Libya, were established new rules of engagement for the Frontex patrols, even in international waters, they must ensure respect for fundamental human rights, rules that exclude the mass return to sea, especially in case of asylum seekers or vulnerable groups such as women and children.
The same minister also suggested the sending of Italian troops in Tunisia to prevent the departure of migrants from the beaches of the country. This is a politically feasible proposal: the Berlusconi government has backed up the last of Ben Ali's dictatorship and its system of power and corruption, which has not yet been dismantled and the which probably escape those who for years have been a victim. With such partners is expected today to establish new international relations and on the basis of such guarantees are not violated human rights of those who tried all means to leave the country?
The proposal is inadmissible on the floor above the rule of law because it is completely contrary to international standards of protection of fundamental human rights, international conventions of the sea and with international and European standards on asylum.
The policy of closure does not produce law and the prohibition of migration enriches the criminal organizations that profit from the skin of the migrants. If Italy continues with his stupid policy of support to all dictatorships (think to the case, only the international scene, the support given by Italy to the Belarusian regime) in the world arise out of the democratic legality, and undertake to block the road to Migrants fleeing as he did with Gaddafi and Mubarak, and if faced with this scenario, Europe will remain silent or collaborating with the use of force will achieve a fleeting instant hit, as was the case with the block of arrivals Libya, but paying the price of systematic violations of human rights, and producing in the medium term social crises ever more extensive exodus of much larger size than those of today.
The criminalization of immigrants, imposed by our laws and administrative practices oriented more strictly, the limit to deny people's dignity, despite the interventions of the law, produce long devastating effects on the entire social fabric. Of this we should all really scared.
ASGI calls that come from Tunisia are managed in compliance with the minimum guarantees on fundamental rights of migrants, which are set up reception facilities worthy of the name, and that, in the first place the constitutional right to asylum is respected allowing access to the procedure to those who request it, and that is avoided at all costs to lock up asylum seekers CIE in today real powder kegs ready to explode.
Association for Legal Studies on Immigration