The Palermo prosecutor has requested a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, accused of kidnapping and refusal to perform official duties for having prevented, five years ago, when he was Interior Minister, the landing in Lampedusa of 147 migrants rescued at sea by the ship “Open Arms”.
THE PROSECUTION – The request for punishment concerns both crimes that Salvini is accused of and who - as he himself declared - risked up to 15 years of imprisonment.
"The landing permit should have been issued immediately and without delay, the denial was in contempt of the rules and not to continue with a government plan", said the deputy prosecutor Marzia Sabella at the end of the closing speech.
"The conscious and voluntary denial has damaged the freedom of each of the 147 people and there was no reason - added Sabella - In this trial there were no offended people, most of them are untraceable, but not because they are illegal immigrants or criminals. We will read the names of these people one by one to remember them".
SALVINI: “I AM GUILTY” – “Never has any government and never any minister in history been accused and tried for defending the borders of their country. Article 52 of the Italian constitution states that the defense of the homeland is a sacred duty of the citizen. I declare myself guilty of having defended Italy and the Italians, I declare myself guilty of having kept my word,” Salvini wrote on social media after the request.
MELONI'S DEFENSE – Political reactions were also immediate, starting with that of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: "It is incredible that a Minister of the Italian Republic risks 6 years in prison for having carried out his work defending the borders of the Nation, as required by the mandate received from the citizens", said the Prime Minister on social media, expressing "total solidarity" with the leader of the League.
MINORITY ON THE ATTACK – The opposition has a different opinion. «Even a minister must respect the law, including Salvini. The very harsh indictment of the Palermo prosecutor, who asked for a 6-year sentence, reminds us that respect for human rights comes before the alleged defense of borders and that lives at sea are always saved, even during a war», says Laura Boldrini, former president of the Chamber and member of parliament for the Democratic Party.
"You do not defend national borders by holding 147 people, including women and children, captive in the open sea, violating all international conventions, starting with those on the sea and human rights," commented Angelo Bonelli, deputy of Avs. Adding: "We will see what the court will decide regarding the request for a 6-year sentence for Salvini advanced by the prosecutor, but one thing is certain: when he was minister, Salvini used the human drama of migrants, who unfortunately died by the thousands in the Mediterranean Sea, for mere electoral calculation."
(Unioneonline/lf)
