Italy: Deputy PM Matteo Salvini faces jail time for controversial migrant boat standoff

Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has faced a potential six-year prison sentence as prosecutors charge him with kidnapping and dereliction of duty over his handling of a migrant boat in August 2019.

Salvini, who was serving as interior minister at the time, is accused of blocking the Open Arms charity ship from docking at Lampedusa Island, forcing it to remain at sea for nearly three weeks before a court intervention allowed it to dock.

The boat, carrying 147 migrants rescued off the Libyan coast, was subjected to Salvini’s stringent “closed ports” policy, which aimed to deter human traffickers by restricting landings. Salvini argues that his actions were intended to prevent Italy from becoming “a refugee camp for all of Europe” and insists, “I am guilty of defending Italy and Italians.”

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The trial has highlighted severe conditions on the ship, including a scabies outbreak among the migrants, as described by crew members. Prosecutor Geri Ferrara emphasized that the case underscores a fundamental principle: “Between human rights and the protection of state sovereignty, it is human rights that must prevail in our fortunately democratic system.”

Salvini, who testified in January that he believed the situation on the ship was not critical, faces the possibility of being barred from holding public office if convicted. He remains defiant, asserting on social media that “defending Italy is not a crime,” and claims that his policies contributed to a decrease in Mediterranean sea arrivals, with UN data showing a drop in 2019.

The trial, which began in October 2021, is nearing a verdict expected next month. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has voiced her support for Salvini, condemning the case as a dangerous precedent. “Turning the duty to protect Italy’s borders into a crime is a very serious precedent,” she stated.

As Salvini awaits the court’s decision, the trial continues to stir debate on immigration policy and human rights within Italy and beyond.