Italian prosecutors are seeking a six-year prison sentence for Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini for blocking an NGO migrant taxi boat trying to disembark illegal migrants in 2019, and have been accused of conducting a political witch hunt.
Prosecutor Geri Ferrara sought a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, leader of the populist League party, on charges of kidnapping and refusal to hand over official documents for blocking the Spanish ship Open Arms, which was trying to disembark 147 illegal immigrants into Italy in 2019 when he was interior minister.
Ferrara argued that the action to secure the border was not an inherently political act, but rather a failure to fulfil an administrative duty mandated by European Union and international regulations, broadcaster RAI reported. Reports.
“People at sea need to be rescued, regardless of their classification as migrants, crew or passengers. According to international law, the Search and Rescue Convention, even traffickers and terrorists must be rescued and then, if necessary, justice can be carried out,” the prosecutor said in Palermo on Saturday.
“It was argued that Open Arms should return the migrants to the Libyan coast guard… The rescue operation does not end with a simple intervention in a dangerous situation, but at the disembarkation stage. States have an obligation to intervene and to respect European regulations on migration,” Ferrara added.
In a rebuttal, the deputy prime minister's lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, argued that the trial was inherently political and that it would be “contradictory” to prosecute Salvini only for policies adopted by the government as a whole, arguing that “the actions of Mr Salvini are not before the court, but the court has a political agenda.”
Salvini's prosecution has drawn condemnation both at home and abroad, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is in a coalition government with the populist League, saying it was “incredible that a minister of the Italian Republic should be at risk of six years in prison for carrying out a task entrusted to him by the people: defending the borders.”
“Criminalizing the obligation to protect Italy's borders against illegal immigration would set a very serious precedent. I fully agree with Minister Salvini.”
Mr Salvini's populist allies have also voiced their support across Europe, including Marine Le Pen, leader of France's National Rally party. said“The trial and six-year prison sentence given to him [Salvini] “The situation is extremely serious, especially with the increasing number of migrant sinkings across Europe. We are united and on your side more than ever, Matteo.”
Geert Wilders, a key figure in the Dutch government preparing for a showdown with the EU over refugee and immigration policy, Explained He called the trial a “total disgrace” and said Salvini “deserves a medal” for “defending his country”.
Meanwhile, Salvini, who did not attend Saturday's trial, said on social media that his move to stop migrant taxi boats from dropping off illegal immigrants in the country was simply to fulfil a promise the government had made to Italian voters.
“I would do it all again. Protecting our borders from illegal immigrants is not a crime,” he asserted.
The Italian government has long accused open-border NGOs of supporting smuggling networks operating along the Mediterranean coast and encouraging illegal migration, bringing tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to Italian shores.
Last year, Italy's Intelligence and Security Service (DIS) found that the presence of NGO migrant taxi boats and their practice of picking up stranded migrants was also leading to an increase in drownings of migrants at sea, as traffickers deliberately provided migrants with bare minimum fuel en route across the Mediterranean.
During his time as interior minister, Salvini the populist politician blocked NGO migrant boats from entering Italian ports, a move that coincided with a drop in the number of migrant drownings. When Salvini left office in 2019 and the policy was scrapped, illegal immigration to Italy began to soar again.
This trend was finally reversed this year by the coalition government of Salvini and Prime Minister Meloni, which reintroduced restrictions on migrant taxi NGO boats and managed to reduce illegal crossings by more than 60 percent compared to last year.
