Today’s L’Espresso previews a documentary film “Un Unico Destino” that will be broadcast for the first time this Sunday on the Italian Sky Atlantic.
The film will tell the story of how an Italian frigate hid from view 60 miles south of Lampedusa ignoring repeated calls from a Maltese rescue plane to save 270 people (60 of them children) who were drowning a short 40 minutes away as the Maltese pilot overhead watched and wept.
The disaster happened 4 years ago during the mass exodus of Syrian refugees.
The L’Espresso report previews the chilling evidence of the Maltese pilot, retired Major George Abela, and of survivors of the tragedy who lost their own children at sea with the sound of the orbiting Maltese plane ringing in their ears.
Italian prosecutors have been trying to collect evidence to prosecute Italian military officers who by turning their backs on a sinking ship effectively committed murder.
The documentary will report the evidence is well organised and kept by the Maltese army but the producers suspect the Maltese authorities have so far not been too enthusiastic to share this evidence in fear of jeopardising the arrangement Malta has with Italy for the latter to take on any refugees bound here.
“Adesso tocca ai governi fare la loro parte. Il premier maltese Joseph Muscat deve rassicurare pubblicamente i testimoni. E i suoi ministri devono fare in modo che i documenti sul massacro siano trasmessi all’autorità giudiziaria italiana. Come presto chiederanno gli avvocati Alessandra Ballerini e Emiliano Benzi, che assistono i familiari delle vittime.”
270 human beings, of whom 60 were children, were allegedly allowed to drown by callous military officers of the Italian navy and Malta is reportedly in possession of evidence that can bring the perpetrators to justice and give some solace, if not closure, to the surviving relatives.
Irrespective of any diplomatic inconvenience it may cause us, Malta cannot for its own advantage, obstruct the conduct of justice and due process for crimes occurring on our seas. Our moral duty comes first.