Prosecutors in Italy are seeking a six-year prison sentence for Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini over his decision in August 2019 to prevent a migrant rescue boat from docking. At the time, Salvini was serving as interior minister and blocked the Open Arms charity ship from disembarking 147 migrants on the Italian island of Lampedusa for almost three weeks, until a court intervened.
Salvini faces charges of kidnap and dereliction of duty but has consistently defended his actions. He maintains that his goal was to protect Italy from becoming “a refugee camp for all of Europe” and declared himself “guilty of defending Italy and Italians.”
The Open Arms vessel had rescued migrants off the Libyan coast, but the prolonged standoff worsened the onboard conditions, leading to a scabies outbreak, as testified by crew members during the trial.
Prosecutor Geri Ferrara emphasized that human rights must take precedence over state sovereignty in Italy’s democratic system. Salvini, however, testified in January that he believed the situation on the ship was not critical.
A verdict is expected next month, and if convicted, Salvini could also be banned from holding government office. Responding on social media platform X, Salvini reaffirmed his stance, stating that “defending Italy is not a crime” and crediting his policies with reducing migrant landings and deaths in the Mediterranean.
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister, reiterated his stance as he faces prosecution for blocking a migrant rescue boat from docking in 2019, stating, “No government and no minister in history has ever been accused or put on trial for defending the borders of his own country.
” Salvini, who was then serving as interior minister, is accused of kidnap and dereliction of duty for preventing 147 migrants aboard the Open Arms charity ship from disembarking for nearly three weeks.
Citing UN data, Salvini pointed out that sea arrivals in Italy dropped to 11,471 in 2019, a significant decrease compared to previous years. As head of the Northern League party, which opposes illegal migration, Salvini is part of a coalition government with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Five Star Movement.
Meloni expressed her full support for Salvini, stating on X, “It is unbelievable that a minister of the Italian Republic risks six years in prison for doing his job of defending the nation’s borders, as required by the mandate received from the citizens.” She added that turning the duty to protect Italy’s borders from illegal immigration into a crime sets “a very serious precedent.”
