Ragusa, she was raped multiple times until she lost the baby in her womb

A sentence of 3 years and 8 months in prison and a fine of over 800,000 euros concludes one of the proceedings related to the landing on October 22, 2019, when 67 people were rescued by the Coast Guard ship Diciotti off the Sicilian coast. On board were men, women, and children from Bangladesh, Eritrea, Somalia, and Morocco, who had departed two days earlier from Zawiya, Libya, after a journey marked by violence and abuse.

The Court of Ragusa found a young Somali guilty, accused of aiding illegal immigration. The prosecution had requested a much harsher sentence – ten years in prison and a fine of 1.7 million euros – while the defense, represented by lawyer Antonella Cassibba, had aimed for acquittal. The sentence confirmed the defendant's responsibility, also imposing the payment of legal and detention costs, in addition to a five-year ban from public office.

The accounts of the survivors

Behind the numbers of the judicial proceedings are the often unspeakable stories of the rescued migrants. A report by Marco Rotunno from the UNHCR Italy communication office had already documented the dramatic conditions in which many of them found themselves.

Among the passengers were nine women and seven minors, including two very young children, just ten months and three years old. The testimonies collected speak of years of violence and deprivation in Libya, where traffickers operate real detention centers.

A young Somali recounted fleeing his country at 15 and being held captive by traffickers for three years. During that time, he was reportedly sold multiple times, beaten, tortured with electric cables, and released only after his family paid a ransom of 8,000 euros.

Even more heartbreaking is the story of a young woman, also Somali, who reported being repeatedly raped. During her captivity, she lost the child she was carrying in the seventh month, without receiving any medical assistance.

Two alleged smugglers identified
Among the people on board, investigators identified two alleged smugglers: one a minor, later judged by the Juvenile Court of Catania, and the other, now convicted, tried in Ragusa. The investigations reconstructed the role of both in managing the rubber boat that left Libya.

A case that tells much more than a ruling
The decision of the Ragusa Court closes a judicial chapter, but leaves open a broader reflection on migration routes and the inhumane conditions that thousands of people continue to endure in Libyan detention centers. The stories that emerged from that rescue in 2019 remain a powerful warning: behind every landing are lives marked by violence, shattered hopes, and a desperate need for protection.