Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, is facing the upcoming verdict in Sicily with a bold stance regarding his actions in 2019, when he prevented around 100 migrants from disembarking a rescue vessel during his tenure as interior minister.
Leading the Eurosceptic and anti-migrant League party, Salvini addressed a rally last week, asserting that “protecting borders, upholding dignity, enforcing laws, and maintaining a nation’s honor can never be deemed a crime.”
If found guilty of kidnapping related to the August 2019 incident, Salvini could face a prison sentence of up to six years.
This incident involved his refusal to allow rescued migrants to disembark from the Open Arms rescue ship at Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island.
A sentence exceeding five years would also disqualify him from holding public office.
Regardless of Friday’s verdict, the decision won’t have an immediate impact, as Italian law requires that rulings are only final after two levels of appeal, a process that can extend over several years.
The Open Arms approached Italy with 150 migrants, some of whom were rescued in the Maltese search and rescue zone, with Lampedusa being the nearest port.
They remained in international waters for ten days, followed by five days near Lampedusa, during which the migrants grew increasingly restless, the weather worsened, and conditions on board deteriorated.
Some migrants attempted to jump overboard, and minors were evacuated amid the standoff.
Ultimately, a court mandated that the remaining 89 individuals on board be allowed to disembark in Lampedusa.
During his time as interior minister from 2018 to 2019, under former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s first government, Salvini adopted a stringent approach to migration, denying humanitarian rescue vessels access to ports and accusing organizations involved in sea rescues of facilitating human trafficking.
In a related incident, German captain Carola Rackete defied Salvini’s orders in June 2019 by entering Lampedusa’s port, declaring a state of emergency on her ship, the Sea-Watch 3, which had been carrying 40 migrants rescued at sea for nearly 16 days.
She was subsequently arrested.
Italy has since withdrawn the allegations of facilitating illegal migration against her.
Currently serving as the transport minister in the far-right government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Salvini enjoys the backing of both the prime minister and fellow ministers during the ongoing trial in Palermo.
Since assuming office in 2022, Meloni has taken steps to tighten migration controls, forging agreements with North African countries to curb departures and setting up yet-to-be-activated centers in Albania for processing rescued migrants outside of Italy.
Salvini expressed his intention to enter the Palermo court with confidence, ready to hear the ruling on whether he unlawfully detained migrants by blocking their disembarkation.
He is also facing accusations of neglecting his public responsibilities.
Arturo Salerni, the defense attorney for Open Arms, shared with the Associated Press his skepticism regarding Salvini’s true motives in defending Italy’s borders.
He contended that an interior minister “without an order from the judicial authority and disregarding international and national laws” cannot justly restrict anyone’s freedom.