Outrage as refugee rescue ship chiefs stay under arrest

The arrest of three officials of a German aid ship that disembarked 37 Africans on the Sicilian coast provoked an outcry in Italy and Germany today, with politicians and aid groups saying the move violated humanitarian principles.

The ship run by Cap Anamur, a German aid agency, had been stranded at sea since June 20. After weeks of debate over who should take them in, the ship received permission to dock in Sicily, but Italian authorities immediately made the arrests.