Updated:
In Palermo, Sicily, the hearing against Italy’s former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has started on his dealings with refugees.
Palermo – The 48-year-old posted a photo from the courtroom on Twitter on Saturday and wrote: “The trial wanted by the left and the supporters of illegal immigration begins: What will it cost the Italian citizens?” The head of the radical right-wing Lega party is accused of deprivation of liberty and abuse of office.
The hearing on Saturday is likely to be primarily about procedural issues. Judge Roberto Murgia wanted to decide on the admissibility of the witness lists requested by both sides. The public prosecutor had listed Italy’s former Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio as witnesses. A testimony from Hollywood star Richard Gere is also possible.
In August 2019, Salvini had refused entry into the port of Lampedusa for six days for the Spanish rescue ship “Open Arms” with 147 migrants on board. The migrants were only able to leave the ship after the Italian public prosecutor ordered this. The Lega boss points out that the decision was not made by him alone, but by the government.
Salvini also defended himself by saying that he wanted to protect Italy from an onslaught of migrants with its restrictive policy of “closed ports”. Italy’s Senate lifted Salvini’s parliamentary immunity last year, clearing the way for the trial.
The founder and director of the Spanish aid organization Open Arms, Oscar Camps, denied Salvini’s allegations that the process was politically motivated. “Saving people is not a crime, it is a duty – not just for the captains, but for the entire state,” he told journalists.
The trial of Salvini began on September 15 in Palermo and was then postponed to October 23.
gap / ju
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