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From Tripoli to Sicily



Mazara del Vallo, a city always known for its solidarity, will host an important meeting on November 29 and 30, organized by the Convention on Rights in the Mediterranean:

"From Tripoli to Sicily - Evacuating Human Rights Defenders from Libya."

The Convention on Rights in the Mediterranean ETS is an association composed of representatives from 20 Mediterranean countries and aims to strengthen cooperation and solidarity among the countries of a sea that has been the cradle of civilization. The initiative is supported by the Department of Family, Social Policies, and Labor of the Sicily Region and the Municipality of Mazara del Vallo. The project is organized in collaboration with the association Refugees in Libya (RiL) and the international network Alliance with Refugees in Libya (ARiL), which aim to support refugees in Libya and other North African countries. On October 1, 2021, thousands of refugees fleeing Gargamesh, where a massive manhunt had begun, started a demonstration in front of the UNHCR headquarters in Tripoli that lasted a hundred days. They were violently evicted by Libyan militias, and hundreds of them were imprisoned. They remained in the notorious Ain Zara prison for 18 months and were released thanks to the initiative and pressure exerted by RiL and ARiL, the network of European activists who decided to support their struggle. The campaign's objective is to create conditions for safely evacuating and welcoming these human rights defenders.

The event will open on Friday, November 29, at the Peace Operators Center, Via Casa Santa 41, at 3:00 PM, with a photo exhibition, followed by a press conference presenting the Conference's objectives, which will be attended by Salvatore Quinci, Mayor of Mazara del Vallo. At 5:00 PM, a round table will begin, moderated by Mazara City Councilor Arianna d'Alfio. Among the confirmed participants are the Bishop of Mazara del Vallo, H.E. Angelo Giurdanella, MEP and former Mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando, Regional Councilor for Family Affairs Hon. Nuccia Albano, ARS Vice President Hon. Nuccio di Paola, ANCI Sicily Secretary General Mario Alvano, and the Mayors of Mazara del Vallo, Salvatore Quinci, of Favara Antonio Palumbo, of Petrosino Giacomo Salvatore Anastasi, and of Santo Stefano in Quisquina, Salvatore Cacciatore. The panel will also include Don Leo di Simone, director of the Peace Operators Center, and Karim Hannachi, member of the Convention on Rights in the Mediterranean and Coordinator of the Regional Observatory for Migration.

On Saturday, November 30, at the Civic Center of Mazara del Vallo, Corso Vittorio Veneto 201, workshops will be held on sea rescues, freedom of movement, the hotline with Refugees in Libya (an emergency telephone contact), and migrant women.

The day will conclude from 6:30 PM at the Garibaldi Theater, Via Carmine, 15, Mazara del Vallo, with the premiere screening of the documentary "Cross-border Rape," produced by the Observatory on Gender Violence in Tripoli, Libya, which, through interviews with migrant women, reveals a horrible reality hidden from public opinion.




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