Salvini faces trial for Open Arms incident; Lega party rallies in Palermo
The appointment is set for this morning at 10 in front of the Politeama Theater, in the heart of Palermo. Ministers, deputies, senators, regional parliamentarians, and supporters of the League will gather in Piazza Castelnuovo to show solidarity with Minister Matteo Salvini, who is on trial for kidnapping and refusal to perform official acts. Meanwhile, in the bunker courtroom of Pagliarelli prison, lawyer Giulia Bongiorno, president of the Justice Commission, will begin her plea in the presence of the defendant, who will respond to the accusations of the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office, which in the last hearing requested a six-year prison sentence for Salvini.
The magistrates, led by the deputy prosecutor, and prosecutors Geri Ferrara (now at the European Prosecutor’s Office) and Giorgia Righi, are convinced of the accusation. According to them, by prohibiting the landing of 147 migrants from the ship of the Spanish NGO Open Arms in the summer of 2019, Salvini, then Minister of the Interior, would have committed “kidnapping”. The prosecution alleges that Salvini acted “in violation of international conventions and domestic regulations on sea rescue and the protection of human rights,” and that he “abused the powers conferred on him as national public security authority.”
During the seven-hour closing argument, Deputy Prosecutor Marzia Sabella emphasized that “human rights come before border defense.” Salvini’s defense rejected the charges during his reply on September 14, stressing that the decisions to delay the landing after redistribution were not solely made by his client. “Other ministers have also proudly claimed responsibility for the rejections,” the lawyer said, explaining that “it’s not Salvini’s conduct on trial but a political line on trial.”
Open Arms, processo a Salvini: in aula l’arringa della difesa, la Lega in piazza a Palermo
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