ECHR Declines to Hold Italy Accountable for Libyan Migrant Pull-Backs

In a significant human rights ruling on June 12, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) declared inadmissible the case of S.S. and Others v. Italy, which concerned Italy's role in the interception of migrants at sea by the Libyan Coastguard. The applicants, who were forcibly returned to Libya in 2017 and subjected to abuse, argued that Italy was responsible for the "pull-back" because it coordinated and provided support to the Libyan authorities. 

However, the Court found that Italy had not exercised extraterritorial jurisdiction over the migrants, ruling that its financial and logistical support to Libya was not sufficient to establish the level of control required to trigger obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. The decision is viewed by human rights advocates as a major setback, creating a protection gap and potentially insulating European states from accountability for the consequences of externalizing their migration control policies to third countries. 

Source: ECHR