Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister and leader of Italy's ruling Alliance party, was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 for preventing illegal migrants from disembarking from a boat, but was acquitted.
Judges in Palermo, Sicily, dismissed the kidnapping case against Matteo Salvini on Friday, ruling that the facts presented by prosecutors warranted a conviction, broadcaster RAI reported. report.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2019, while Salvini was interior minister, he blocked a Spanish NGO called Open Arms migrant taxi boat from dropping off 147 illegal immigrants into Italy for more than two weeks. They further claimed that Mr. Salvini's actions violated European Union and international regulations on migration and asylum.
Prosecutors also argued that Mr. Salvini's actions were not political in nature. But Mr. Salvini and his lawyers argued that Mr. Salvini was merely implementing government policy, and therefore the will of the voters, and that the entire government, not just Mr. Salvini, should therefore be on trial.
Before entering the Palermo courtroom on Friday, Salvini defiantly said he was “absolutely proud” of his actions, that it was a fulfillment of a promise he made to the people and that he would “do everything again.”
“I am against mass immigration and no matter what the verdict is, today is a great day for me because I am proud to have defended my country,” he said. said. said.
Following the verdict, Mr. Salvini said: I wrote About X: “Not guilty for stopping mass immigration and defending the homeland. The league wins, common sense wins, Italy wins.”
Mr. Salvini had drawn support at home and abroad against what many saw as political persecution. Perhaps most importantly, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni staunchly supported her deputy throughout the process, warning that criminalizing movements to protect borders would set a dangerous precedent.
Following the verdict, Meloni said: “Securing Italy's borders is never a crime. The acquittal of Matteo Salvini is great news. We will continue to work together with fortitude and determination to fight illegal migration and human trafficking and protect national sovereignty.” Let's.
Hooray! ”
Populist alliances across Europe also came to Salvini's defense, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Spain's VOX party leader Santiago Abascal joining other members of the European Patriots bloc, wearing shirts stylized with Salvini's wanted posters. I raised it. caption: “Guilty for defending Italy.”
Prior to this decision, X owner Elon Musk said: said “It's strange that Salvini is being put on trial for defending Italy,” he said, adding that the Italian populist had done “the right thing” in blocking illegal immigrants from entering the country.
The case against Salvini comes as Meloni's government in Rome continues to fight in court over Albani's plan to send illegal boat migrants to detention camps in the Balkans rather than keep them in Italy while their asylum claims are processed. Ta.
Blocking the plan, Italian judges argued the government had no right to violate EU regulations on countries to which illegal immigrants can be safely returned. The case was referred to the European Court of Justice.
