On 5 November, 13 search and rescue organisations from Germany, France, Spain and Italy announced the creation of the Justice Fleet, whose mission will be to ‘uphold human rights and international maritime law’. The Justice Fleet announced that it is ‘ending operational communication’ with Libya’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Tripoli after ‘years of escalating human rights violations’ against asylum seekers and refugees travelling by sea, noting the JRCC cannot be regarded as a competent authority as it ‘coordinates the violence by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard’. Ina Friebe, spokesperson of Compass Collective (one of the NGOs involved), said that ending all operational communication with the JRCC ‘is both a legal and moral necessity — a clear line against European complicity in crimes against humanity.’
