Malta urged to investigate return of migrants to Libya

The EU's human rights commission has urged Malta to respond to those in distress at sea, as pressure mounts over allegations Valletta has illegally returned migrants to Libya. The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dunja Mijatović, called on the authorities in Malta to investigate allegations that, either through delayed responses to distress calls or by deliberate pushbacks, migrants had been disembarked in Libya despite reaching the Maltese rescue zone. In a letter to Malta’s Prime Minister, Robert Abela, Ms Mijatovic urged the government "to ensure full accountability for situations in which action by Maltese authorities has led, directly or...