Back“The shipwreck that occurred in the Mediterranean on 18 April and the deaths of hundreds of people who were trying desperately to gain access to European territory have put the spotlight once again on a matter that is neither new nor, sadly, does it seem to be easy to solve.
The death of these people can but move us, because it clearly stems from a desperate attempt to find a better life than the one they left behind in their home countries; and from the cruel treatment they were subjected to in the boat that they were being transported in.
As Defenders of Human Rights, we have to state that it is a clear breach of the principle of the right to life. And ask the European Union to collaborate with the countries of origin of these people to prevent the activity of clandestine vessels; to become far more involved in assisting the immigrants and to find the means of enhancing living conditions in the places of origin, so that immigration is not a sole means of survival.”
Soledad Becerril has also adhered to the communiqués issued by the Association of Mediterranean Ombudsmen (AMO) and by the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI).
