In a closely watched case with major implications for European migrant policy, Italy’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini was acquitted on Friday of kidnapping and dereliction of duty charges related to his refusal to allow a Spanish rescue ship carrying 147 migrants to dock at an Italian port in August 2019. The verdict by a court in Palermo, Sicily brings to a close the dramatic trial that thrust Salvini’s hardline immigration stance into the international spotlight.
Charges Stemmed from Salvini’s Time as Interior Minister
The case dated back to Salvini’s controversial tenure as interior minister from 2018-2019 in the coalition government of then-Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. Upon taking office, one of the right-wing League party leader’s first moves was to declare Italy’s ports closed to migrant rescue ships, leading to a series of tense standoffs with vessels seeking to offload asylum seekers and refugees saved from the Mediterranean.
Prosecutors had accused Salvini of abuse of power and unlawful detention for using his authority as interior minister to deny the Open Arms rescue ship permission to dock, forcing it to remain at sea for 19 days as conditions onboard deteriorated. Some migrants grew so desperate during the ordeal that they threw themselves overboard, while the ship’s captain pleaded for a safe harbor.
After examining the evidence and hearing testimony from 45 witnesses, including Hollywood actor Richard Gere who had boarded the ship in solidarity, the judges in Palermo ultimately ruled that prosecutors failed to prove their case against Salvini. In doing so, they handed the anti-immigrant firebrand a significant political and legal victory.
Salvini Hails Verdict as Vindication of Closed-Ports Policy
Speaking to supporters outside the courthouse, a defiant Salvini celebrated the acquittal as proof that he was justified in “defending Italy’s borders” against what he termed an “invasion” by illegal migrants. The populist politician insisted that history would judge his actions kindly.
I have kept my promises, combating mass immigration and reducing departures, landings and deaths at sea.
– Matteo Salvini
Now serving as infrastructure minister and deputy PM in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing coalition government, Salvini had denounced the lengthy trial as a “political” attempt to undermine his agenda. In the run-up to the verdict, he rallied his base with public demonstrations and drew support from nationalist allies across Europe like France’s Marine Le Pen and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán.
Verdict Dismays Migrant Advocates, Could Embolden Hardliners
For their part, the prosecutors in the case argued forcefully that “the duty to save lives at sea is a responsibility of states and takes precedence over norms and bilateral agreements aimed at combating irregular migration.” Humanitarian groups and human rights advocates expressed dismay at Salvini’s acquittal, warning it could further embolden anti-migrant forces.
The verdict comes at a time when Italy and Europe as a whole continue to grapple with the complexities of mass migration from Africa and the Middle East. While migrant arrivals have declined from their peak in 2015-2016, the issue remains a political lightning rod on both sides of the Mediterranean.
With nationalists like Salvini now back in positions of power and the European Union still struggling to craft a cohesive asylum policy, the Open Arms trial underscores the deep ideological fault lines and high human stakes at play in the ongoing debate over border security versus international obligations and human rights. The court’s decision may have settled Salvini’s legal situation for now, but the broader questions his case raised about how Europe treats the world’s most vulnerable show no signs of easy resolution.
