Salvini trial: Prosecutors seek six-year prison sentence

The prosecution in court in Palermo considered this to be deprivation of liberty and abuse of office. The verdict against the current transport minister is expected to be announced next month.

At their request, the prosecutor’s office did not reach the maximum possible sentence of 15 years. The right-wing politician was interior minister from 2018 to 2019. During that time, he made a name for himself internationally by cracking down on private aid groups that were transporting refugees on boats in the Mediterranean.

Salvini: 'I would do the same thing again'

Salvini was not in court on Saturday when the prosecutor's plea was presented in the three-year trial. “I'll do it again,” he wrote on Instagram.

Never in history has a minister been tried and convicted for defending his country’s borders. Article 52 of the Italian constitution states that defending the homeland is a sacred duty of the citizen. “I plead guilty for defending Italy and Italians, and I plead guilty for keeping my word,” said Salvini, 51.

Prosecution: Human Rights Before Sovereignty

To justify himself in court, the League leader pointed out that the decision was not his alone, but that of the government at the time. He also wanted to protect Italy from a “rush” of migrants through his restrictive policy of “closing the ports”.

However, prosecutor Jerry Ferrara explained to the court in Palermo that there was a central principle that was “absolutely indisputable”: “Between human rights and the protection of state sovereignty, human rights must fortunately take priority in our democratic system.”

People jumped from the stranded ship into the sea.

According to the aid organization of the same name, the Open Arms rescued more than 160 people from distress at sea in August 2019. It then anchored off the Italian island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean, but was not allowed to dock at the port there. The situation on board reached a fever pitch. People jumped into the water several times and tried to swim to land. Finally, the public prosecutor ordered the seizure of the Open Arms three weeks later so that the ship could dock.

Meloni criticizes the prosecution

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended her coalition partner. “It is unthinkable that a minister of the Italian Republic risks six years in prison for carrying out his mission to defend the nation’s borders, as required by the citizens’ mandate,” wrote the leader of the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) party. At the same time, she assured Salvini of her “full solidarity.”

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, head of the ruling Forza Italia party, sees the situation as similar. “Salvini did his duty as interior minister to defend legality,” he said. “It seems absurd to demand a six-year prison sentence for this reason and without any legal basis,” Tajani told Channel X.

Opposition criticizes Meloni

Eli Schlein of the opposition Social Democrats criticized Meloni for her criticism of the judiciary. The separation of powers must be respected, so it is not appropriate to comment on ongoing proceedings.