A court in Italy will deliver its verdict on Friday in the case against Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right League party, who is accused of preventing around 100 migrants from disembarking from a ship while he was serving as Minister of the Interior.
Salvini, a staunch eurosceptic and anti-immigrant politician, remains defiant ahead of the ruling and denies any wrongdoing. Last week, he declared that “defending borders, dignity, the law, and the country’s honor can never be a crime.”
The case concerns the five-day detention of migrants aboard the Open Arms rescue ship, which was stranded off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in August 2019. Salvini is accused of neglecting his duties and preventing the migrants from disembarking, with prosecutors requesting a six-year prison sentence. If convicted of a sentence longer than five years, Salvini would automatically be banned from holding public office.
Despite the looming verdict, Salvini has said he would not resign if found guilty. Italian legal procedures mean that decisions are not final until after two levels of appeal, which can take years.
In August 2019, the Open Arms ship, carrying 150 migrants rescued at sea, was stranded in international waters for 10 days, followed by five more days near Lampedusa due to Salvini’s refusal to allow the migrants to disembark. Conditions on the ship deteriorated, and some migrants jumped into the sea, while minors were evacuated. The court ultimately ordered the government to allow the remaining 89 migrants to disembark.
Salvini’s defense claims he was protecting Italy’s borders, but the Open Arms lawyer argued that his primary duty was to protect human rights. This incident is just one of over 20 similar cases during Salvini’s tenure as Minister of the Interior, when he adopted a hardline stance on migration.
Salvini enjoys full support from Italy’s current government led by Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party. He has also received backing from anti-migrant politicians across Europe, as well as American billionaire Elon Musk, a close associate of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Since taking office in 2022, Meloni has pursued a strict anti-migration agenda, securing agreements with North African countries to curb migrant departures and establishing a deal with Albania to relocate 36,000 asylum seekers annually.
