On Saturday, the Palermo prosecutor’s office requested a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, Italy’s Minister of Transport and leader of the Lega party. Salvini is on trial for charges of kidnapping and neglect of official duties, stemming from his decision to block the Spanish NGO ship Open Arms from docking in Lampedusa in August 2019 after it had rescued 147 migrants in the Mediterranean. At the time, Salvini was serving as Italy’s Minister of the Interior.
The prosecution’s request followed a rigorous and lengthy closing argument presented by Deputy Prosecutor Marzia Sabella. She emphasized that “international conventions are very clear” and stressed that protecting borders cannot override the duty to safeguard human life at sea, which necessitated providing a safe port to the migrants. The defense’s final arguments, to be delivered by attorney Giulia Bongiorno, are scheduled for October 18.
Salvini, who was absent from court on Saturday, responded by posting a four-minute video on his social media accounts, reiterating his stance that his actions were intended to “defend the borders.” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed “full solidarity” with Salvini and labeled the prosecution’s request as “incredible.” Other politicians echoed this sentiment, with Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi describing it as an “evident and gross injustice.” On Sunday, the National Association of Magistrates (ANM) condemned the “political insinuations” and “disjointed reactions” from political figures and the government.
In August 2019, the Open Arms was stranded at sea for 20 days. Salvini had blocked the ship’s entry into Italy under the “security decree bis,” though a Lazio Regional Administrative Court ruling later overturned his decision. Despite this, Salvini’s pressure on the Coast Guard and the Lampedusa Port Authority delayed the disembarkation. It was only after intervention from Agrigento Prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio, who visited the ship and ordered immediate disembarkation, that the migrants were allowed to disembark.
At the time of disembarkation, only 83 migrants were still aboard as others had jumped into the sea, evaded control, or were authorized to disembark due to being minors. The situation aboard the ship had been dire, with the rescued individuals exhausted and distressed from their prolonged time at sea. During the prosecution’s closing arguments, they countered Salvini’s defense claims, with Sabella asserting that “there were no terrorists aboard the Open Arms” and that “the Spanish NGO operated within the regulations.”
