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Italy impounds NGO rescue ship after evidence found of collusion with traffickers

The Iuventa, a boat operated by German NGO Jugend Rettet (translation: Child Rescue), was impounded on the Italian island of Lampedusa on the orders of a prosecutor based in Trapani, Sicily, the state police force said.

“Inquiries begun in October 2016, and conducted with the use of sophisticated techniques and investigative technology, have produced circumstantial evidence of the motorboat Iuventa being used for activities facilitating illegal immigration,” a statement said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/02/italy-impounds-ngo-rescue-ship-sends-navy-patrol-boat-to-libya-migrant-refugee-route-europe

The EU border agency Frontex has long accused NGOs of colluding with people smugglers and encouraging trafficking, but now that there might be proof, things might get a bit rough for NGOs, especially when the Italians are rapidly becoming more anti-refugee.