A group of Nigerian migrants who survived a deadly sea crossing last year have filed a lawsuit against Italy for violating their human rights by supporting the Libyan Coast Guard’s efforts to turn back boats to North Africa, their lawyers said on Tuesday.

Some 17 migrants supported by four lawyers filed the lawsuit to the European Court of Justice last week, Violeta Moreno-Lax, a legal advisor for the Global Legal Action Network, told reporters.

The lawsuit accuses Italy of violating several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights, including that people not be subjected to torture, held in slavery, or their lives put in danger — all of which the United Nations, rights groups and news reports say migrants face in Libya.

Source: (Reuters)