Italy govt touched bottom on Aquarius - HRW

(ANSA) - Rome, September 26 - The director of Human Rights Watch for Europe and central Asia, Judith Sunderland, on Wednesday said in an article on the Aquarius migrant rescue ship that "the the current Italian government's inhuman approach to refugees and migrants has touched the bottom once more." Sunderland repeated claims that the government, led by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, put pressure on Panama to stop the ship using its flag.
    The Aquarius, operated by SOS Méditerranée and Doctors Without Borders, was rejected by Italy and sailed on for three days before before finding a landing spot in Malta.
    Its 58 migrants will be distributed among France, Spain, Portugal and Germany.
    Salvini responded to Sunderland by saying that "the insults of the leftwing do-gooders are all medals".
    He said "Italy has received in the last few years 700,000 immigrants from all over the world, and yet we keep getting unwanted lectures on reception.
    "The migrant smugglers are inhuman".