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".
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