Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Italy
Hirsi Jamaa v. Italy (Grand Chamber)
European Court of Human Rights · Italy · 2012-02-23 · Regional court or body
Citation: App. no. 27765/09
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
May a state intercept migrants at sea and return them to Libya without examining their situation?
What the court decided
No. The pushback exposed them to ill-treatment, amounted to collective expulsion, and denied an effective remedy.
In plain language
Italian ships picked up Somali and Eritrean migrants at sea and took them straight back to Libya. The Grand Chamber said this broke the ban on sending people to danger and on group expulsions.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Kapal Italia mengangkut migran Somalia dan Eritrea di laut dan langsung membawa mereka kembali ke Libya. Majelis Agung menyatakan ini melanggar larangan memulangkan orang ke bahaya dan pengusiran kelompok.
Pertanyaan: Bolehkah negara mencegat migran di laut dan memulangkan mereka ke Libya tanpa memeriksa keadaan mereka?
What happened afterwards
- 2009-05: Interception and return.
- 2012-02-23: Judgment.
Sources
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Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/echr-hirsi-2012/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.