Row erupts over Salvini 6-year jail term request on migrants

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 15 - A political-judiciary row has erupted in Italy following a Palermo prosecutor's request for a six-year jail term for former interior minister Matteo Salvini for allegedly kidnapping 147 migrants who he stopped from landing at Lampedusa for several days as part of his controversial closed ports policy for migrant rescue ships five years ago.
    Salvini said he was only defending Italian borders in keeping the migrants aboard Spanish NGO Open Arms ship as part of his hardline anti-migrant policy.
    He was defended by Premier Giorgia Meloni who voiced full solidarity with her colleague, who is now deputy premier and transport minister, and said the sentence request "sets a dangerous precedent", saying that defending Italy's borders was "not a crime".
    But centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein called Meloni's implicit criticism of the judiciary "inappropriate".
    Magistrates union ANM said Sunday that insinuations that the prosecutor was guilty of pratcising "political justice" were serious charges and placed unacceptable pressure on Italian judges.
    Even Elon Musk weighed in on the case Saturday night with the Tesla, SpaceX and X chief saying "that crazy prosecutor should be the one going to jail for six years, this is crazy". (ANSA).