The following is based on communications sent by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and other UN experts to the Governments of Libya and Italy, and the Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva on 15 October 2025. The communications remained confidential for 60 days before being made public, giving the authorities time to reply. A response was received from the Italian Government on 16 December 2025 and from the EU authorities on 22 December 2025. Regrettably, no response has been received from the Libyan authorities. If a response is received, it will be posted on the UN Special Procedures communications database.
The Special Rapporteur remains highly concerned by the attack on the Ocean Viking search and rescue ship by the Libyan Coast Guard, along with the failure of the relevant authorities, including the EU and Italy, to implement the recommendations of the Human Rights Council-established Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya.
Since the sending of the communications, the Italian authorities have continued to sanction people exercising the right to defend human rights in the Central Mediterranean, in the continuation of a pattern documented by the Special Rapporteur since the beginning of her mandate. She again calls on the Italian authorities to change course, and to create a safe and enabling environment for the exercise of the right to defend human rights.
This is a shorter version of the original communication.
BACKGROUND
Topic: the gunfire attack on the Ocean Viking search and rescue vessel by the Libyan Coast Guard on 24 August 2025.
The Ocean Viking is a search and rescue vessel operated by the French organisation SOS Méditerranée. SOS Méditerranée has been operating search and rescue vessels in the Central Mediterranean since 2016, and the Ocean Viking since 2019.
Grave concerns as to a pattern of gross human rights violations committed against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers by multiple parties in Libya, including the Libyan Coast Guard, were communicated to the Government of Libya in reports from November 2021 (A/HRC/48/83), June 2022 (A/HRC/50/63), August 2022 (A/HRC/49/4) and March 2023 (A/HRC/52/83) by the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya (FFM). Such concerns have since been reiterated and shared with the Libyan Government in reports of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights dated 3 June 2024 (A/HRC/56/70) and 23 July 2025 (A/HRC/60/82).
Concerns about the alleged detention and ill-treatment of human rights defenders providing assistance to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as attacks against them, were previously communicated to the Libyan Government by Special Procedures mandate holders on 17 August 2022 (LBY 6/2022). We regret not receiving a reply to this communication. Similar concerns were also shared in the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights dated 23 July 2025 (A/HRC/60/82).
ALLEGATIONS
In 2017, Libya and Italy agreed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fields of development, the fight against illegal immigration, human trafficking, fuel smuggling and reinforcing the security of borders between the State of Libya and the Italian Republic.
At 2.09 a.m. on 24 August 2025, the Ocean Viking rescued 47 persons in distress in international waters in the Libyan Search and Rescue Region of the Central Mediterranean. The rescue was reportedly carried out keeping all relevant maritime authorities informed of each step of the operation. The Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (ITMRCC) subsequently assigned Marina di Carrara as a place of safety for disembarkation of the rescued persons, approximately 1,300 km and three and a half days sailing from the ship’s location at the time. The Italian authorities thereafter authorized the Ocean Viking to deviate from its course to the assigned place of safety in order to carry out a second rescue operation on the same day, during which 40 persons in distress at sea were rescued, and again in order to search for a third boat in distress in international waters in the Central Mediterranean.
At 2.45 p.m. on the same day, the Ocean Viking crew spotted a boat on the horizon approaching the ship at sea. At 2.58 p.m., the Ocean Viking made radio contact with this boat – a Libyan Coast Guard Corrubia-class patrol vessel, Houn 664, donated by Italy to the Libyan authorities in 2023 as part of the European Union’s Support to Integrated Border and Migration Management in Libya (SIBMMIL) program, for which the Italian Ministry of Interior is the partner. The Libyan Coast Guard reportedly shouted at the Ocean Viking crew via the radio, telling them to “go north”. In response, the Ocean Viking crew explained that they were conducting a rescue mission in coordination with the ITMRCC and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Tripoli.
At 3.02 p.m., they had a similar exchange, with the same message communicated by the Ocean Viking in Arabic. However, the ship subsequently informed the Libyan Coast Guard that they had changed course and were heading north. Immediately after having shared this information, gunshots were fired from the Libyan Coast Guard boat at the Ocean Viking, reportedly with no warning given. The Ocean Viking continued to change its course to head north.
At 3.05 p.m., while informing the ITMRCC of the shooting and asking them to intervene with the authorities in Tripoli, the Ocean Viking was shot at again from the Libyan Coast Guard boat. At this point, while speaking with the ITMRCC, the Search and Rescue Coordinator aboard the Ocean Viking issued a mayday call and informed the IMRCC that the windows on the bridge of the Ocean Viking have been shattered by the gunfire. At 3.08 p.m., as the Libyan Coast Guard continued to shoot at the Ocean Viking, the ship issued another mayday call.
At 3.09 p.m., the Ocean Viking asked the Libyan Coast Guard boat to stop shooting and told them that they were leaving the area. The shooting nonetheless continued, and the Libyan Coast Guard threatened to increase their fire. At 3.12 p.m., the Ocean Viking repeated its message to the Libyan Coast Guard both in Arabic and English. The Libyan Coast Guard responded by continuing to shoot and threatening the Arabic-speaking member of the Ocean Viking crew.
At 3.14 p.m., the Ocean Viking contacted the ITMRCC, who informed the Ocean Viking that they were not in contact with the authorities in Tripoli, and told the crew to contact their flag state. While this conversation was happening, the Libyan Coast Guard continued to shoot at the Ocean Viking. At 3.15 p.m., the captain of the Ocean Viking was threatened by the Libyan Coast Guard after speaking with them in English. They insulted him, calling him a “dog” and an “animal”, and warned that they would shoot him unless he spoke in Arabic. The Libyan Coast Guard then ordered the Ocean Viking to stop their engine, and threatened the ship, saying they would return in an hour and sink them. By 3.24 p.m., the Libyan Coast Guard boat had left the area, heading south.
As a result of the gunfire from the Libyan Coast Guard boat, four windows on the bridge of the Ocean Viking were shattered, four of the ship’s rescue boats (RHIBs) destroyed, and communication, navigation and search and rescue equipment damaged. The ship itself was left with more than 100 bullet holes, including form shots fired at head height and aimed directly at the bridge. Following the attack, the Ocean Viking informed the ITMRCC that the Libyan Coast Guard boat had left, and that they intended to proceed towards the port of Marina di Carrara. They subsequently informed NATO Operation Sea Guardian of the incident and requested an escort for the safety of the ship and those onboard. They were advised by the NATO crew to contact the Italian Navy, which they reportedly attempted to do four times without success. At 4.52 p.m., the Ocean Viking made three attempts to contact the European Union Naval Force Mediterranean Operation Irini (EUNAVFOR MED) via satellite phone, to ask for an escort, but could not make contact with them.
At 4.56 p.m., the Ocean Viking contacted the ITMRCC and asked them to contact the Italian Navy to organise an escort for the Ocean Viking. In response, the ITMRCC told the Ocean Viking that they should contact the ship’s flag State.
At 5.32 p.m., the Ocean Viking contacted the ITMRCC, the flag State, the Malta Rescue Coordination Centre, the Italian Navy, NATO and Frontex by email, informing them of the damage sustained to the ship as a result of the shooting by the Libyan Coast Guard and requesting a closer place of safety for disembarkation of the rescued people on board.
At 11.50 p.m., the Ocean Viking followed up on its initial email with photographic evidence of the damage sustained in the shooting by the Libyan Coast Guard. The ITMRCC subsequently confirmed Siracusa as a place of safety for disembarkation. This was subsequently changed to the port of Augusta, where disembarkation took place on the evening of 25 August 2025.
This incident is allegedly not the first attack of the Libyan Coast Guard on the Ocean Viking. In July 2023, a similar attack occurred, when a Libyan Coast Guard boat, donated through the SIBMMIL programme, fired gunshots in the vicinity of two of the Ocean Viking’s RHIBs during a rescue operation.
CONCERNS
In the communication, we express our grave concern at the alleged attack on the Ocean Viking. We note that the above-detailed allegations are supported by video, audio and photograph evidence, and underline our serious fear that the attack, which strongly appears to have put the Ocean Viking crew members – who are human rights defenders – and the 87 persons on-board who were rescued at sea in extreme jeopardy, may have been a deliberate attempt to prevent the life-saving work of the crew. We further underline our concern that the attack appears to be directly connected to gross human rights violations committed by the Libyan authorities, including the Libyan Coast Guard, against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
Our concerns in this regard are further documented in the above-referenced reports of the FFM, which have been communicated to the Libyan Government.
In its 2021 report (A/HRC/48/83), the FFM found that “since the inception of boat pullbacks in the Mediterranean Sea, Libyan authorities have been on notice regarding the widespread and systematic nature of the reckless interceptions at sea and the abuses within the centres. Rather than investigating incidents and reforming practices, the Libyan authorities have continued with interception and detention of migrants. The absence of accountability for abuses against migrants evidences a State policy encouraging the deterrence of sea crossings, extortion against migrants in detention, and subjection to violence and discrimination. Militias (some of which manage detention centres), criminal networks, traffickers and smugglers contribute to the implementation of this policy.” (para. 60). The FMM considered at the time that this provided “reasonable grounds to believe that acts of murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, persecution and other inhumane acts committed against migrants form[ed] part of a systematic and widespread attack directed at this population, in furtherance of a State policy” and that as such, “these acts may amount to crimes against humanity.” (para. 61).
In another report (A/HRC/50/63) from June 2022, the FFM stated its continued investigations “provided a strong basis to confirm that acts of murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, and other inhumane acts are committed against migrants” and “that little has been done by Libyan authorities to reform their practices and address these crimes…” (para. 70).
In a third report (A/HRC/49/4) from August 2022, the FFM found that, in spite of the Mission’s previously published findings, the Libyan authorities had continued to detain migrants, including those intercepted at sea.
In its final report (A/HRC/52/83) from March 2023, the FFM found reasonable grounds to believe that high-ranking staff of the Libyan Coast Guard colluded with traffickers and smugglers, reportedly connected to militia groups, in the context of the interception of migrants and their deprivation of liberty (para. 44). The FFM further found Libyan authorities, including the Libyan Coast Guard, had been on notice as to the widespread human rights violations and possible crimes against humanity being committed against migrants in Libya, but that “nonetheless, in accordance with memorandums of understanding between Libya and third States, the Libyan authorities have continued their policy of intercepting and returning migrants to Libya, where their mistreatment resumes.” (para. 46). The FFM recommended that the Libyan authorities “end the criminalization of irregular entry and stay of migrants in Libya and immediately release arbitrarily detained migrants…” and “investigate and prosecute individuals allegedly responsible for violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law and domestic criminal law, in accordance with due process guarantees and the principle of legality.” (para. 102, f and a).
