Italy's Matteo Salvini Acquitted of Kidnapping Charges Over 2019 Blocking of Open Arms Ship

Dec 20, 2024, 06:59 PM

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was acquitted by a court in Palermo on charges of kidnapping and dereliction of duty related to his 2019 decision to block the migrant rescue ship Open Arms from docking in Italy. Prosecutors had sought a six-year prison sentence for Salvini, who, as Interior Minister at the time, refused to allow 147 migrants aboard the vessel to disembark at Italian ports. The trial, which lasted three years, concluded on Friday, December 20, 2024, with the court ruling there was no case to answer.