Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini should be tried for “aggravated kidnapping” for refusing to allow more than 150 migrants to disembark from a rescue ship docked in Sicily, a special court has ruled.
He was placed under investigation in August for alleged abuse of power and holding people against their will following a stand-off when Italian coastguard ship Diciotti rescued 177 people, most of them Eritreans, from the Mediterranean Sea.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The majority of the migrants were forced to remain on the boat for almost a week, despite “desperate living conditions aboard”, reports Qatar-based newspaper the Gulf Times.
Salvini spent six days trying to persuade EU leaders to disperse the migrants across multiple countries, before finally letting them disembark after Ireland, Albania and Italy’s Catholic Church agreed to take most of them.
Responding to this week’s ruling, Salvini posted a video on his Facebook account in which he said: “Yes, yes, yes, I lay claim to this, I confess it, I admit it, I blocked disembarkation proceedings for the migrants.
“If this is my guilt, if this is my crime, I declare myself guilty.”
In a written message, he added: “I risk three to 15 years in prison for blocking illegal landings in Italy. I have no words.”
The special tribunal, which reviews investigations involving government ministers, overturned a previous recommendation by prosecutors to drop the case.
The case will now go to the Italian Senate, which has the deciding say on whether members of Italy’s government should face prosecution, reports international news network The Local.
Salvini has said he is confident that he will be backed by senators from his party, “but the support of his coalition partners, the populist Five Star Movement, is less than certain”, says The Independent.
The Five Star Movement, also known as M5S, runs on an anti-corruption platform that includes demanding the resignation of any politician who is under police investigation.
Two years ago, M5S Luigi Di Maio, now co-deputy prime minister, called for the resignation of Salvini’s predecessor, Angelino Alfano, who was under investigation for abuse of office.
“We cannot allow a minister of interior under investigation to remain in office,” Di Maio said at the time.
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate brandingIn the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The Strait of Messina: a bridge too far?Talking Point Giorgia Meloni's government wants to build the world's longest suspension bridge, fulfilling the ancient Roman vision of connecting Sicily to the Italian mainland
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Russia's 'shared values' visaThe Explainer The 'anti-woke' scheme is aimed at foreigners who reject LGBTQ+ rights and 'non-traditional' values – and who can provide Moscow with online clout and skilled workers
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Superyachts are getting caught up in spy scandalsThe Explainer China and Russia have both been accused of spying maneuvers on the open sea
-
Dutch government falls over immigration policyspeed read The government collapsed after anti-immigration politician Geert Wilders quit the right-wing coalition
-
On VE Day, is Europe alone once again?Today's Big Question Donald Trump's rebranding of commemoration as 'Victory Day for World War Two' underlines breakdown of post-war transatlantic alliance
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
