TORINO – Finora non se ne era parlato. Ma tra le migliaia di file segreti delle ambasciate americane diffuse in rete da Wikileaks, ce n'è anche uno dedicato alle politiche di Maroni. La data è del 14 maggio 2009. I respingimenti in Libia sono cominciati dieci giorni prima. E l'ambasciatore americano a Tripoli, Gene Cretz, ne fa rapporto a Washington. Si parla dei primi tre respingimenti: i 227 del 7 maggio 2009, i 77 del 9 maggio e i 163 del 10 maggio. Il documento conferma che il 7 e il 10 maggio, furono motovedette italiane a riportare nel porto di Tripoli i respinti. Il 9 maggio invece fu utilizzata un'imbarcazione della vicina piattaforma petrolifera dell'Eni di Bahr Essalam. C'è poi un accenno ai 15 funzionari italiani arrivati oltremare per formare i libici, e alle “malandate condizioni” delle prigioni dove furono detenuti i respinti dopo l'arrivo al porto di Tripoli. Tutti elementi che saranno utili ai due processi ancora in piedi contro i respingimenti.
Il primo è quello nato da un'inchiesta della procura di Siracusa che ha portato al rinvio a giudizio dei vertici della Guardia di Finanza e del Viminale per violenza privata ai danni di 75 somali respinti in Libia il 30 agosto 2009. Un atto d'accusa che non mette in discussione tanto i respingimenti in sè, quanto piuttosto il rispetto dello stato di diritto. La procura ha infatti scoperto che i respingimenti non hanno alcun fondamento nel nostro sistema giuridico. Non c'è insomma nessuna legge che autorizzi una motovedetta italiana a riportare in un paese terzo, la Libia, cittadini fermati fuori dal territorio italiano, a maggior ragione se in acque internazionali, dove notoriamente vige la libertà di circolazione. Neanche nell'accordo che l'allora ministro dell'interno Giuliano Amato firmò con Gheddafi nel 2007 si accenna alla possibilità di usare navi italiane per fare i respingimenti. Incredibile ma vero, insomma i respingimenti costituirebbero di fatto un esercizio arbitrario della forza da parte dell'autorità italiana, che avrebbe dovuto limitarsi a prestare soccorso e ad applicare le proprie leggi sull'immigrazione dopo lo sbarco dei naufraghi.
L'altro importante processo è che quello che va avanti da ormai due anni alla Corte europea, e che vede il governo italiano denunciato da 24 cittadini eritrei e somali respinti in Libia il 7 maggio 2009. La corte ha da poco disposto il trasferimento del fascicolo alla Grande camera, un organismo composto da 17 giudici anziché i soliti sette, vista la delicatezza del caso. Sì perché in gioco c'è tutta la politica europea di respingimenti degli ultimi dieci anni, che appare in evidente contrasto con la Carta europea dei diritti dell'uomo, che vieta esplicitamente le espulsioni collettive e riconosce il diritto d'asilo politico e il diritto a un ricorso effettivo in caso di violazione dei propri diritti. Tutte condizioni venute meno nel trattamento dei 24 respinti, la maggior parte dei quali si trova ancora bloccata a Tripoli. Per entrambi i processi, la sentenza dovrebbe arrivare entro l'anno.
La grande camera della corte europea convocherà l'udienza sul caso entro giugno, per poi andare a sentenza verosimilmente entro dicembre. Per il processo di Siracusa invece, si riparte da zero, perché il giudice ha disposto il trasferimento del processo a Roma per incompetenza territoriale.
Di seguito il cable di Wikileaks
LIBYA TAKES BACK 500 ITALY-BOUND MIGRANTS
Passed to the Telegraph by WikiLeaks 9:30PM GMT 31 Jan 2011
Ref ID: 09TRIPOLI391
Date: 5/14/2009 16:38
Origin: Embassy Tripoli
Classification: CONFIDENTIAL
Destination: 09TRIPOLI273
Header: VZCZCXRO4620OO RUEHBZ RUEHDBU RUEHDU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHMR RUEHNP RUEHPARUEHRN RUEHROV RUEHSRDE RUEHTRO #0391/01 1341638ZNY CCCCC ZZHO P 141638Z MAY 09FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLITO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4817INFO RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 5347RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0517RUEHVT/AMEMBASSY VALLETTA PRIORITY 0416RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVERUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
Tags: SMIG,PHUM,PREL,MARR,PREF,KTIP,IT,LY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000391 SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, PRM, AND DRL/NESCA E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/14/2019 TAGS: SMIG, PHUM, PREL, MARR, PREF, KTIP, IT, LY SUBJECT: LIBYA TAKES BACK 500 ITALY-BOUND MIGRANTS REF: TRIPOLI 273 TRIPOLI 00000391 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Gene A. Cretz, Ambassador. REASON: 1.4 (b), (d)
1.(C) Summary: Implementation of a key component of the Italian-Libyan "friendship agreement" has begun, as Italy has returned approximately 500 migrants rescued and interdicted at sea to Libya over the past week. Libyan authorities have notified the local offices of IOM and UNHCR before returning boats arrive in Tripoli to facilitate medical screening, identification, and consular notification. The returnees are then placed in immigrant detention centers. UNHCR has interviewed a number of the detained returnees, noting that only "a handful" of the 500 are likely asylum seekers - mostly of Somali and Eritrean origin; the rest are economic migrants. The GOL is expected to accept delivery of six Italian patrol vessels this week, and to start patrolling Libya's coast with a joint Libyan-Italian crew and command in June. One Italian diplomat said he hoped the Libyan cooperation would continue, but suspected that it was linked to Muammar al-Qadhafi's planned mid-June visit to Rome. End Summary.
ITALY TURNS BACK OVER 500 MIGRANTS INTERDICTED AT SEA
2.(C) Libya has accepted the return of three tranches of migrants interdicted or rescued at sea by Italian authorities in recent days, beginning implementation of a key component of the Italian-Libyan "friendship agreement" signed last August aimed at reducing the flow of migrants from Libya to Italy. In each case, the Italians contacted the Libyan navy, which agreed to accept their return to Libya. The Libyan navy did not/not agree to take the migrants on Libyan vessels; rather, in one case, it instructed Italian energy company ENI, which operates an offshore platform in the area, to tow an African vessel to shore; in the other cases, it permitted the Italian navy to transport the migrants back to Tripoli. Once in Tripoli, according to the Italian Embassy, the migrants were processed in an orderly fashion and sent to a detention center.
3.(C) The first group of 227 returnees arrived in Tripoli on May 7. A regional IOM team in Tripoli implementing a G/TIP-funded workshop to enhance Libya's response to human smuggling and trafficking was on hand to help screen the arrivals and visit one of the three detention centers where the migrants were held. The trainers described conditions in the centers as overcrowded, but noted that IOM's Libyan partner - the International Organization for Peace, Care, and Relief (IOPCR) - was providing humanitarian assistance similar to that given during a recent high-profile loss of over 200 migrants in late March (ref A). IOM is assisting the GOL obtain treatment for some returnees suffering from dehydration and scabies and has asked for financial support to ensure continued care. Another boat carrying 163 arrived on May 10. IOM reported that a third ship arrived on May 9 and that IOM is receiving notice from the GOL before the ships arrive so that IOM staff can monitor the disembarkation.
A "HANDFUL" OF MIGRANTS ARE LIKELY ASYLUM SEEKERS
4.(C) IOM staff here characterized the recent returnees as "the usual suspects" of Nigerian, Nigerien, Ghanaian, and South Asian nationality. The UNHCR mission reportedly interviewed many of the returnees and found fewer than 10 migrants who were likely asylum seekers including "four or five" Somalis and "a handful" of Eritreans.
JOINT PATROLS TO BEGIN THIS WEEK BUT ENFORCEMENT MAY BE SHORT-LIVED
5.(C) Shortly after Libya and Italy exchanged instruments of ratification of the friendship and cooperation treaty in March 2009, Italian embassy contacts told us that 43 Libyans had applied for visas to collect six patrol vessels from Italy. The GOL is expected to accept delivery of the Italian vessels this week, and to start patroling Libya's coast with a joint Libyan-Italian crew and command in June. According to the Italian Embassy, there will be 15 Italian naval personnel stationed in Libya for this purpose. One Italian diplomat said he hoped the Libyan cooperation on halting illegal migration to Italy would continue, but suspected that it was a gesture to curry favor in Rome prior to Muammar al-Qadhafi's planned mid-June visit to meet PM Berlusconi.
6.(C) Comment: Post does not have direct access to immigrant detention centers. Over the past year, contacts have described the facilities as ranging from "poor and crowded" to "acceptable" and both IOM and UNHCR have said conditions have improved over the past 12 months. Both organizations have regular access to the facilities, but limited capacity to provide care. Conditions will likely become worse if similar numbers of migrants crowd facilities. The GOL currently keeps TRIPOLI 00000391 002.2 OF 002 family and national groups together - in part to facilitate mass deportation by charter plane to West Africa. In the March tragedy, of the 21 rescued from the sea, all Arabs were deported and the GOL facilitated consular access for the Africans whose countries had representation in Tripoli. Others were integrated into the general population of immigration detainees, and the GOL's record-keeping shortcomings make it difficult for organizations to track these migrants. End comment. CRETZ