The news
Italian prosecutors have demanded a six-year prison sentence for Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini after he was accused of kidnapping over his decision in 2019 to ban a rescue ship carrying more than 100 migrants from entering Italy when he was interior minister.
Salvini, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right party and the current transport minister, posted on Saturday: “Defending Italy is not a crime and I will not give up – not now, not ever.” A conviction, which in Italy is only final after a three-stage judicial process, could bar Salvini from office.
It is the latest political hurdle for Meloni, who has waged a tireless anti-immigration campaign since taking office in 2022. She has expressed solidarity with Salvini, but her coalition is currently divided after the center-right faction proposed change of immigration laws to make it easier for foreigners to obtain Italian citizenship, and could fall apart even further if Salvini is convicted.