Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini defends his stance in migrant kidnap trial

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini has appeared in court in Sicily to defend his strict stance on illegal migration. He is facing charges of kidnapping and neglect of duty for blocking migrants from disembarking an NGO ship in 2019. Salvini has denied the charges, stating that he acted in the interest of national security. Back in 2019, Salvini, who was the interior minister at the time, signed a decree banning the Spanish NGO Open Arms vessel carrying 147 rescued migrants from entering Italian waters. The ship remained at sea for nearly three weeks, causing a deterioration of the migrants' physical and mental wellbeing due to dire conditions onboard. In response to public outcry, Hollywood star Richard Gere visited the ship and called on the Italian government to assist the migrants. Salvini, in turn, told Gere to take the migrants back to Hollywood. In court, Salvini claimed that he believed the situation onboard the ship was not at risk and that he had acted consciously. He also asserted that he took full responsibility and achieved significant results in combating human trafficking and saving lives. However, data from the UN's refugee agency shows that 926 people died in the central Mediterranean while Salvini was in office. Salvini also stated that migrant arrivals decreased by 90% under his closed ports policy. It is important to note that multiple factors influence migration flows, including the political situation in migrants' origin countries. Salvini also emphasized that the entire Italian government, including Prime Minister Conte, supported his hard-line approach to immigration. The founder of the Open Arms NGO hopes the trial will result in justice and accountability for Salvini's personal choices. If convicted, Salvini could face up to 15 years in prison. The trial began in October 2021.