Thematic Focus: Rescue at Sea & COVID-19

News & commentary on recent cases of port closures to refugee boat arrivals:

Europe

Covid-19: Italy is not a "Place of Safety" Anymore. Is the Decision to Close Italian Ports Compliant with Human Rights Obligations? (EJIL Talk Blog, April 2020) [text]

For Refugees at Sea, COVID-19 is Another Border to Safety and Asylum (Refugee Rights Europe, April 2020) [text]

*"How COVID-19 Halted NGO Migrant Rescues in the Mediterranean," The New Humanitarian, 28 April 2020 [text]

*How Malta and EU Authorities Left People to Die at Sea and Returned Survivors to War (Sea-Watch, April 2020) [text]

"Med: 180 Quarantined on Italian Ship While NGO Takes Legal Actions against Maltese Decision-Makers," ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 24 April 2020 [text]
- Note: Links to further information are included at the bottom of the page.

Port Denials and Restrictions in Times of Pandemic: Did International Law Lose its North Star? (EJIL Talk Blog, April 2020) [text]

States Should Ensure Rescue at Sea and Allow Safe Disembarkation during the COVID-19 Crisis (COE Commissioner for Human Rights, April 2020) [text]

Southeast Asia

"Bangladesh Urged to Open Ports to Allow in Rohingya Refugee Boats," The Guardian, 27 April 2020 [text]
- See also related Human Rights Watch report.

COVID-19 No Excuse to Sacrifice Rohingya Lives at Sea (Amnesty International, April 2020) [text]
- See also related APRRN statement and VOA News story.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Should Not be Used as an Excuse to Derogate from International and National Obligations (Malaysian Bar, April 2020) [text]

Malaysia: Allow Rohingya Refugees Ashore (Human Rights Watch, April 2020) [text]

News Comment on Maritime Movements of Refugees and Asylum-seekers, from the UNHCR Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (UNHCR, April 2020) [text]

"SOS Rohingya: Desperate Refugees Adrift," The Diplomat, 25 April 2020 [text]