Jugend Rettet is a

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

(NGO) from

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. Its goal is to save drowning persons at the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. Operations are conducted with the ''Iuventa'', a ship that sails under Dutch flag. This ship was seized in August 2017 after suspicion of cooperation with migrant smugglers. The organization is divided into three divisions. First there is the ''Iuventa'' crew, with the straplines "Solidarity at Sea" and "Solidarity is not a Crime". The name ''Iuventa'' originates from the Roman god of youth and courage. Second, there is a department to encourage political awareness of certain issues. Third, there is a discussion platform for the

right of asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another ent ...

. During a session of the Italian parliament on 10 May 2017, a prosecutor accused Jugend Rettet of working together with migrant smugglers. Jugend Rettet denied the allegations. The organization

Frontex The European Border and Coast Guard Agency, also known as Frontex (from French: ''Frontières extérieures'' for "external borders"), is an agency of the European Union headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, exercising in coordination with the borde ...

(European Border and Coast Guard Agency) criticized the behaviour of NGOs at the Libyan coast waters, and reproached their unwillingness to cooperate with the official organizations. In August 2017, Jugend Rettet refused to sign the code of conduct for NGOs set up by the Italian government.

Ships

The ''Iuventa'' is a 32.92-meter former fishing vessel built in 1962 at the shipyard Scheepswerf Vooruit in

Zaandam Zaandam () is a city in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811. It is located on the river Zaan, just north of Amsterdam. The statistical district Zaand ...

. Originally named ''Maria'', and renamed ''Waterman II'' in 1969 and ''Jonas'' in 1971, the ship was initially used for fishing. In 1990, she was sold and converted into an offshore support ship, now named ''Telco Suez''. She was resold in late 2001 and renamed ''Alk Explorer''. In 2016, the ship became the property of the Jugend Rettet group, and was rebuilt for rescuing purposes under the new name ''Iuventa''. In 2016 and 2017 she operated in the Mediterranean Sea, mainly assisting shipwrecked refugees and

economic migrant An economic migrant is someone who emigrates from one region to another, including crossing international borders, seeking an improved standard of living, because the conditions or job opportunities in the migrant's own region are insufficient. Th ...

s. On 10 June 2018, the in Bologna, Italy, introduced Michele Cinque's 86-minute cinema documentary ' about the ship and its missions, filmed between 2016 and 2017. On 10 May 2019 the crew of the ''Iuventa'' was honored by the Swiss Paul Grüninger Foundation with a human rights

award An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration. An awar ...

for saving the lives of around people in the central Mediterranean Sea.

Seizing of the ''Iuventa''

On 2 August 2017 the public prosecutor of the Italian municipality of

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an imp ...

seized the ''Iuventa'' on allegation of cooperation with migrant smugglers and the encouraging of illegal immigration. The confiscation was preceded by a year of investigations by the Italian police. The prosecutor produced witness reports, photo material, video material and sound recordings which should prove that the organization had not tried to rescue people, but taken onboard illegal immigrants during calm sea conditions. The unimpaired vessels of the migrant smugglers subsequently would cruise back. However, presenting at the Manifesta 12 in Palermo, Italy, a

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wo ...

-based '' Forensic Oceanography'' and '' Forensic Architecture'' team of researchers stated that the crew of the ''Iuventa'' would neither have communicated with nor would have returned empty boats back to the traffickers. Jugend Rettet disputed the seizing, but on 23 April 2018 the supreme court of Italy confirmed the decision of the court in Trapani that the vessel stays seized awaiting further investigations. In July 2018, investigations were started against some members of Jugend Rettet, including the ship's captain, Pia Klemp. They are accused of aiding illegal immigration and could face up to 20 years in prison.

Ships

Seizing of the ''Iuventa''

See also

References

Further reading