An Italian court on Monday ordered the release of a Spanish charity ship that was seized after prosecutors said it was helping to ferry migrants illegally from Libya.
The court in Ragusa, Sicily, found that the rescue on March 15 of 218 migrants off the Libyan coast by humanitarian group Proactiva Open Arms was justified because migrants face "grave violations of human rights" in Libya.
These include forced labor, rape, and detention without adequate food and health care, Judge Giovanni Giampiccolo said in a court order seen by Reuters.