Criminal proceedings against the crewmembers of the NGOs Jugend Rettet, Save The Children andMédecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) ended after seven years Friday with acquittals for the 10 defendantsaccused of aiding and abetting illegal immigration in the so-called 'Iuventa' case, after one of the rescue ships involved, a Jugend Rettet vessel.
The humanitarian organizations were accused by prosecutors in Trapani of having made agreements with human traffickers and not having actually given aid to refugees but having acted as their 'taxis', transferring them from Libyan ships to which they allegedly then also allowed them to return undisturbed.
"The truth has been recognised," said Save the Children.
MSF said "we have got through seven years of defamatory slogans and false charges".