Italian former interior minister Matteo Salvini is due to appear in court over his 2019 decision to stop a ship carrying migrants. The court in Palermo has decided today and reports that the first hearing is in September.
The leader of the right-wing populist party Lega is accused, among other things, of kidnapping. He has illegally blocked the migrants from docking on the island of Lampedusa, prosecutors say. Salvini himself speaks of a political process. He goes to trial “with his head held high”, he tweeted.
147 migrants were trapped at sea for over a week at the time. They had been picked up by a ship belonging to the Spanish action group Open Arms. A judge in Rome ruled that Salvini’s decision to keep the boat out, violates international law. After a visit on board, the public prosecutor in Sicily ruled that the ship should be confiscated.
15 years in prison
Salvini accused Open Arms of collaborating with human traffickers. Prosecutors argue that Salvini acted on his own initiative, independently of parliament. He risks a prison sentence of up to 15 years. He could also lose his job as a politician.
Salvini, 48, is currently in the Italian Senate. Last summer, the way was paved for Salvini’s prosecution by removing the special protection he enjoyed as a politician against legal action.
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