Libya frees German refugee aid workers
Libya has freed two refugee aid workers from Germany who were recently arrested by its coast guard, the non-profit sea rescue organization, Sea Eye, says.
Hans-Peter Buschheuer, the spokesman for the humanitarian group, said the two men were freed late Monday.
Libya's navy had said the group's vessel, Speedy, violated Libyan waters, adding that the men tried to escape but they stopped when coast guard officers fired warning shots.
The navy later said the two aid workers admitted that they had violated Libya’s territorial waters, saying they had fallen asleep and did not realize they were no longer in international waters.
However, the non-governmental organization, which saves refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, challenged the account of Libyan authorities.
"We have no written proof of the original location at the time of the arrest because Speedy was also taken and is still in Libya," Buschheuer said.
"But close to where the arrest took place, there were other NGOs from different countries... who saw the event and can attest that we were outside the 12-mile zone, that is, we were in international waters," he added, saying that Spanish non-government organization, Openarms, was among the witnesses to the incident.
"We are working with the help of the German embassy in Libya to obtain the release of the ship," Buschheuer noted, saying, "If that fails, then we would have to file a suit. The ship is worth 110,000 euros ($120,000) and an important part of our future rescues."
The coasts of Libya have turned to a jumping-off point for people seeking to reach Europe.
Unsafe rubber boats, which carry hundreds of refugees, often capsize off Libya, especially its western coast. Some 2,300 people were rescued on September 10 alone while they were heading for Italy on 18 small boats.
Human traffickers have taken advantage of the chaos in Libya since 2011 to boost their lucrative business.
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