Italy's Deputy PM Salvini Acquitted in Palermo of Kidnapping Charges Over 2019 Open Arms Migrant Blockade

Dec 20, 2024, 07:08 PM

An Italian court in Palermo has acquitted Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on charges of kidnapping and dereliction of duty related to his August 2019 decision to prevent the Spanish NGO rescue ship Open Arms, carrying 147 migrants, from docking in Sicily. The migrants were kept onboard for nearly three weeks as Salvini, then serving as interior minister, refused to allow the vessel to disembark. Prosecutors had sought a six-year prison sentence, but the court ruled there was no case to answer, clearing Salvini of all charges. Salvini welcomed the verdict, stating that defending the homeland is a right, not a crime.