The rescue organization Sea-Watch says Turkey has breached human rights by handing over a group of 30 migrants to the Libyan Coast Guard in the Mediterranean.

The picture is blurry and the Mediterranean looks misty, butsailing across a blue-gray sea in the center of the picture is a warship. It is a Turkish frigate, according to the crew of the Moonbird, Sea-Watch's surveillance aircraft in the Mediterranean. In the foreground, some distance away from the frigate, are two much smallercraftpossibly a migrant boat and the LibyanCoastguard, Sea Watch suggests in a Tweet.

The message posted on January 29 says: "The crew ofthe Moonbird recorded yesterday how a Turkish frigate intercepted 30 people andhanded them over to the so-called Libyan Coastguard. Turkey is a signatory tothe European Human Rights Convention, but with this action it has taken part in a severebreach of human rights."

The pressspokesman for Sea-Watch, Ruben Neugebauer, confirmed that this is what hiscolleagues saw. They have not yet released a press release on thesubject.

Turkish press confirms story

In theHurriyetarticle, much clearer pictures show uniformedtroops appearing to help a migrant, whose back is to the camera, step from onesmall inflatable dinghy to another. The article begins by confirming that aTurkish Navy frigate TCG Gazientep "which is on a Mediterranean duty to supportNATO's Operation Sea Guardian, rescued 30 migrants on a drifting dingy offLibya."

The Turkish navymission stepped in, "providing aid and medical support," according to Hurriyet. It says that theTCG Gaziantep is one of five Turkish ships currently operating as part of the NATOoperation in the Mediterranean. Alongside Gaziantep there are three other frigates, "TCG Gkova, TCG Gksu and TCG Gediz as well asa fuel ship TCG Yaray Kudret Gngr," the paper reports.

NATO mission

Operation Sea Guardian

The Sea Guardian operation was broadened in July 2016 at aNATO Warsaw Summit from NATOs "Active Endeavour counter-terrorism mission inthe Mediterranean to a broader maritime security operation." It said aimed at "workingwith Mediterranean stakeholders to maintain maritime situational awareness,deter and counter terrorism and enhance capacity building."

Avideo on the YouTube channel "Libya News"also purports to showthe Turkish crew "rescuing 30 immigrants in Libya."

France accuses Turkey of infringing agreement

The presence of Turkish warships in the central Mediterranean was also uppermost in French President Emanuel Macron's mind. The news agency AP reported on January 29 that Macron accused Turkey of "sending warships and mercenaries to[Libya]." After a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis,Macron described the arrival of Turkish warships in Libyanwaters as "a serious and explicit infringement of what was agreed upon inBerlin." It is unclear to which ships he was referring.

However, APsaid that the Turkish military had confirmed that "four frigates and a refueling vessel were in the central Mediterranean,outside Libyas territorial waters, to support NATO operations in the regionwhile also conducting activities to ensure the security of maritime traderoutes."

In answer to Macron's claims, AP printed astatement from the TurkishForeign Minister,which attacked the French role in Libya. Itread: "It is no secret that [France] gaveunconditional support to Haftar [who is opposing the UN-backed government] in order to have a say concerning Libya'snatural resources, [Haftar's] attacks on the legitimate government, with thehelp of the military support of countries including France, pose the mostserious threat to Libyas territorial integrity and sovereignty. What isexpected of France is to assume a positive role for stability and security inLibya, instead of blaming Turkey."

The latest UNHCR data for Libya, updated onJanuary 24, says that this year "947 refugees and migrantshave been registered as rescued/intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coast Guardand disembarked in Libya." There are still 46,913 registered refugees andasylum seekers in Libya.

Read the rest here:

Are Turkish ships working with the Libyan coastguard in the central Mediterranean? - InfoMigrants