Italian court set to issue verdict in Salvini’s kidnapping trial over migrants blocked at sea
Associated Press5 days
The Facts
A court in Palermo, Sicily, acquitted Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on Friday of charges related to an alleged migrants kidnapping case dating back to 2019 on grounds that the claimed facts never took place.
Salvini, the then-interior minister, had been under trial since mid-to-late 2021 for his purported refusal to allow 147 people, including children, to land in Lampedusa for nearly three weeks after Spanish non-government organization Open Arms rescued them off the Libyan coast.
The Spin
Conservative narrative
This sentence is a victory for common sense and democratic institutions in Italy. As an elected representative of the people, Salvini took legitimate measures in the best interest of his country and in full compliance with his duties to protect the borders and combat mass illegal immigration.
Progressive narrative
This sentence is disgraceful, as Salvini should have been found guilty. It's clear that his decision not to allow the 147 people to land in Lampedusa for 20 days meant that those onboard had their dignity harmed and were deprived of their liberty — and that should never happen in a country like Italy.
