Charities turn on Italy’s government over rise in migrant sea deaths

A group of charities accused Italy's right-wing government on Thursday of obstructing life-saving sea missions and contributing to a sharp rise in migrant deaths, with tough immigration laws it adopted last year. More than 2,600 migrants died or went missing in the Central Mediterranean in the period from February 2023 to February this year, compared to just under 1,600 in the February 2022-2023 period, according to the UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM). The charities linked this rise to a migration decree adopted by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government in January 2023 and ratified by parliament a month later, which included restrictions on the activities of sea rescue charities.