Botanischer Garten vorerst geschlossen

In a recent publication, Nora Markard , Professor of International Public Law and International Human Rights Protection at the University of Münster, looked at the issues of sea rescues, places of safety and the behaviour of the European Union (EU). In this interview with Kathrin Nolte , Nora Markard explains the legal situation, current practice on the part of the EU and what needs to change in future. What are the results you arrive at in your study, which you wrote together with Prof. Anuscheh Farahat from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg? The EU and its member countries are increasingly trying to outsource their responsibilities for refugees to countries in North Africa. They say that these countries should not allow refuges to get into boats in the first place and should, in case of doubt, bring them back or take them back. We see this most clearly in the deal struck between the EU and Turkey. Italy, in particular, is working closely together with Libya - although refugees taken off boats there face the threat of arbitrary detention under dreadful conditions, severe mistreatment, unlawful deportation or even torture and death. This has all been well documented - by large NGOs as well as by the United Nations. In this context, we examined the question of whether it is lawful to allow people rescued at sea to disembark in North African countries. The conclusion that we came to was: absolutely not in Libya; in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt - it depends. What is the legal situation regarding rescues at sea?