Erasmo Palazzotto, a Member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, claimed that around 100 migrants fled Libya in April 2020.
Once they had arrived in Maltese waters they were threatened by Malta’s navy to deter them from disembarking.
In a statement published by the Italian agency ‘Nova’ on Wednesday, Palazzotto said that Malta instilled terror in the hearts of migrants, instead of rescuing them.
He added that “many migrants are afraid of such open hostilities and as a result jump into the sea.”