Italian court clears Vice Premier Salvini of illegally detaining migrants on a rescue ship in 2019

Italy’s vice premier, Matteo Salvini arrives at a court in Sicily that is expected to announce its verdict on whether Salvini is guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister, in Palermo, Italy, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (Alberto Lo Bianco/LaPresse via AP)

By The Associated Press

Posted Dec 20, 2024 02:51:51 PM.

Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 03:02:03 PM.

ROME (AP) — A court in Sicily Friday found Vice Premier Matteo Salvini not guilty of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard a humanitarian rescue ship when he was interior minister.

The court dropped all the charges against Salvini in relation an incident in 2019, when he refused to allow the migrants to leave the Open Arms rescue ship at Italy’s southernmost island of Lampedusa.

Verdicts in Italy are only considered final once all appeals are exhausted, a process that can take years.

Now transport minister in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s far-right-led government, Salvini has always defended himself, saying he acted to protect Italy’s borders.

The Associated Press


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