Italian activists face trial for migrant sea rescue in legal first

FILE PHOTO: The Mare Jonio, operated by Italian charity Mediterranea Saving Humans, with 34 rescued migrants on board, is seen in international waters of the Italian island of Lampedusa in the central Mediterranean Sea, August 31, 2019. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo

ROME (Reuters) -A Sicilian judge has ordered six members of an Italian charity ship to stand trial on accusations of aiding illegal immigration, the first time crew members of a rescue vessel have faced such prosecution, the group's lawyer said on Thursday.

The case centres on a 2020 operation where the Mare Jonio charity ship, operated by the Mediterranea NGO, picked up 27 migrants who had been rescued by a giant tanker in the Mediterranean Sea. The activists then brought them to Italy.