A verdict is expected on Friday in the trial of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who faces charges of kidnapping and dereliction of duty related to his refusal to allow a migrant rescue boat to dock in Italy in 2019.
Prosecutors in Sicily have requested a six-year prison sentence for Salvini, who was the country’s interior minister at the time.
Salvini, leader of the right-wing Lega party and an ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has denied the charges and stated that he will appeal if found guilty. He has repeatedly argued that the case is politically motivated, maintaining that his actions were aimed at “protecting Italy.”
The trial stems from an incident involving the NGO ship Open Arms, which was carrying 147 migrants rescued off the Libyan coast. Salvini, under orders, prevented the ship from docking at the Italian island of Lampedusa, keeping the migrants at sea for nearly three weeks. As the situation deteriorated, the prosecutor in Agrigento, Luigi Patronaggio, ordered the ship’s seizure after inspecting it.
Salvini’s defense is that he was fully backed by the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in his mission to “close Italy’s ports” to NGO rescue vessels. Meloni has expressed strong support for Salvini, stating that a conviction would set a dangerous precedent, undermining Italy’s right to control its borders. She has not indicated that Salvini would need to resign if convicted.
Salvini, in recent public statements, has framed the trial as an attack on Italy’s border protection, stating, “I want to believe that Italy is a normal country, and in a normal country someone who defends borders isn’t found guilty.” He has also criticized the judiciary, accusing it of being politicized and aligned with left-wing agendas.
The trial has sparked strong reactions both in Italy and abroad. Members of Salvini’s Lega party have rallied around him, with MEPs showing their support at the European Parliament by wearing t-shirts reading “Guilty of defending Italy.” Prominent figures like Elon Musk and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have also weighed in, with Orban calling the trial “shameful.”
If convicted, Salvini plans to appeal to Italy’s Supreme Court, a process that could take months and would not affect his position in the government or parliament.
