Italian government is committed to respect the rights of immigrants and refugees, Home Affairs Minister Annamaria Cancellieri has said.
She warned that whoever will fail to respect their rights will be published.
The minister was reacting to criticism of an agreement Italy signed with Libya on 3rd April 2012 to curtail the flow of migrants. Both Italian and Libyan governments have not officially revealed the content of the agreement.
Several human rights organizations including Amnesty International and some Italian politicians have been demanding to know the details of the agreement.
It is suspected that the agreement excluded measures to address the present dire human rights predicament confronting migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya.
Ms. Cancellieri said there was nothing secret in the agreement, adding that those talking of lack of transparency are either uninformed or doing so in bad in faith.
In a new report, Amnesty International said: “Agreements between Italy and Libya include measures that result in serious human rights violations.”
The human rights organization urged Italy to set aside its existing migration control agreements with Libya and not enter into any further agreements until Libya is able to demonstrate that it respects and protects the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and has in place a satisfactory system for assessing and recognizing claims for international protection.
Amnesty International also urged Italian authorities to ensure that all migration control agreements negotiated with Libya or any other countries are made public.
