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A JUDGE IN Sicily on Saturday ordered former interior minister Matteo Salvini to stand trial for having refused to let a Spanish migrant rescue ship dock in an Italian port in 2019, keeping the people at sea for days.
Judge Lorenzo Iannelli set September 15 as the trial date during a hearing in the Palermo bunker courtroom, the LaPresse news agency reported.
Salvini, who attended the hearing, confirmed the outcome and insisted he was only doing his job and his duty by refusing entry to the Open Arms rescue ship and the 147 people it had rescued in the Mediterranean.
Citing the Italian constitution, Salvini tweeted that defending the country was the “sacred duty” of every Italian.
“I’m going on trial for this, for having defended my country?” he tweeted.
“I’ll go with my head held high, also in your name.”
Palermo prosecutors have accused Salvini of dereliction of duty and kidnapping, for having kept the migrants at sea off the coast of Lampedusa for days in August 2019.
During the standoff, some of the migrants threw themselves overboard in desperation as the captain pleaded for a safe, close port.
Eventually after a 19-day ordeal, the remaining 83 migrants still on board were allowed to disembark in Lampedusa.
Salvini had maintained a hard line on migration as interior minister during the first government of premier Giuseppe Conte, from 2018-2019.
While demanding European Union nations do more to take in migrants arriving in Italy, Salvini argued that humanitarian rescue ships were only encouraging Libya-based traffickers and that his policy actually saved lives by discouraging the risky trips across the Mediterranean.
His lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, said she was certain the court would eventually determine that there was no kidnapping involved.
“There was no limitation on their freedom,” she told reporters.
“The ship had the possibility of going anywhere. There was just a prohibition of going into port. But it had 100,000 options.”
Open Arms, for its part, hailed the decision to put Salvini on trial.
“We are happy for all the people we have rescued … in all these years,” the group tweeted.
The group’s founder, Oscar Camps, said the decision to prosecute was “historic”, showing that European political leaders can be held accountable for failing to respect the human rights of migrants.
“This trial is a reminder to Europe and the world that there are principles of individual responsibility in politics,” Camps told a press conference Saturday.
The decision to prosecute shows “it’s possible to identify the responsibility of the protagonists of this tragedy at sea”.
Salvini is also under investigation for another, similar migrant standoff involving the Italian coastguard ship Gregoretti that he refused to let dock in the summer of 2019.
The prosecutor in that case, Andrea Bonomo, recommended last week that Salvini not be put on trial, arguing that he was carrying out government policy when he kept the 116 migrants at sea for five days.
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How much of these monies have been sourced by the Catholic church? Surely an old convent or two should be sold to somewhat make amends. Shatter has requested such funding, yet it appears not a penny has been shared. Why is the tax-payer paying for the sins of the Catholic church?
Because Bertie and his cronies were such good Catholics.
Granted Joseph.
But as my mother says
The rest of the feckers in Leinster house over the year had a mouth on them as well and they said feck all about this travesty.
Imagine some of today’s fine leaders used to drive by slave camps everyday on their way into the Dail and think nothing wrong of it.
The Magdelane Laundry closed in 1996.
The “last” Magdelane Laundry closed in 1996.
Anyway.
As recent events have illustrated, Ireland’s fine leaders think nothing of abusing/enslaving their people in one way or another.
Money will never replace what the establishment took from them.
Pittance
Paddy power got most of my mums compo already.
I am not sure if there is anything I hate more than the catholic church for what it did to those children. Not only is what happened devastating, but those who covered it up and facilitated its continuance for so long are as bad as the abusers themselves. Those that then choose to recognise and support such an institution today really make me wonder what is wrong with them. Why would/could anybody support an organisation that did this to innocent children!? What is wrong with people? You people really do make me feel ill.
I concur with everything you say John Q . The disconcerting thing is that a catholic task force of laypeople and clergy has been set up to
Spread disinformation and lies about the extent of the abuse. Their mantra is to Deny ! Deny ! Deny ! At all costs any accusations against the church irrespective of the truth or source of the information. On the flip side there seems to be other groups of clergy mainly in the states who have set up support groups for clergy whistle blowers. http://www.catholicwhistleblowers.com
Didn’t these women have families too?
We’re all angry here at the state paying for church sins which is fair enough but the irish press also know as the journal gives the Church sinners a constant platform to spout their moral shite through their two spin offs, the immigrant council of ireland and the migrant council who in turn produced the mens development network. So for every one story such as the horrors that these woman suffered the irish press will act as an online broadsheet to spread the good shepherds words
Actually, you are full of shite!
The RCC should be made to pay? Look at the wealth that it has, The RCC can afford to pay..
I’m sickened and apaulled by what went on and the cover up of these poor children and Adults.
@Trevor Beacom, What are you on about?! The immigrant council of ireland and The migrant council have nothing to do with the good sheperd magdeline laundry..?
You are entitled to your opinion about those two councils but they serve a genuine and legitimate purpose; just because you disagree with that purpose why must you spread your shite talk in unrelated articles?
And your name is?
My name is irrelevant. Why do you ask, will knowing my name help you to explain your previous comment?
You know only too well the links between the groups. Pretending that they dont exist is silly. Every eci and mci article which appear here I will publish proof of the links
Still no one is asking why were the London Women’s Group Given €250,000 at the Commissioning of the Quirke Report!
Was this to seek endorsement of the Macalese Report and ensure Compliance with the Quirke findings on Redress?
Shatter certainly compromised this situation by doing this!
My mother spent a couple of years in the Magdalene Laundry in Limerick as well as her entire childhood in the Irish state workhouses and they are telling her that they cannot find her records.
Wait for the vaccine test programmes that were run in these places to come into the spotlight. Humam medical trails without informed consent. That is going to cost.
Sadly the Commission into Child Abuse was stopped from investigating this by the Welcome Trust now part of GSK. There will be no report or Compensation on this.
The Government commissioned a Report that washed the Religious Whiter than a Magdalene Laundry Sheet!
They got the Report they paid for absolving the Nuns and phasing the burden squarely on the State and Tax Payer AGAIN!
have your say