Italy’s Supreme Court orders government to compensate immigrants trapped at sea for several days
Rome (AP) – The Italian court of appeals ordered the government to compensate a group of immigrants who were stranded on Coast Guard ships for several days in 2018 due to the strict anti-immigration policy of the then-haired top Matteo Salvini.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni slammed the court’s ruling as “suspicious” and “dismaying.”
The Cass Court ruled to overturn the previous item, ordering the Italian government to compensate immigrants during the standoff. The judge sent the case back to the common court late Thursday, demanding the exact compensation it defines to be awarded.
Trusted news and daily joy are in your inbox
Watch it for yourself – Yodel is the go-to for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.
A group of Eritrean immigrants appealed to the Cassation Court in August 2018 for the torture of 190 immigrants on the Italian Coast Guard ship. First get on and off at Lampedusa Island near tips in southern Italy. The ship then headed to Catania, Sicily, but before allowing the remaining 177 immigrants to be allowed, Salvini’s order was blocked for about 10 days.
Meloni, who leads a conservative coalition that includes hardline coalition leader and deputy prime minister Salvini, said the decision does not help “citizens approach institutions.”
“Due to this decision, the government will need to pay to those who try to enter Italy illegally, violate Italian law, use the money of honest Italian citizens – use the money of honest Italian citizens,” she wrote in a social media post.
In another article, Salvini called the rule “absurd” and urged the magistrate to compensate his “beloved immigrants”. He has always said that his job is to defend Italy’s borders.
This is the latest chapter in the months-long conflict between the Italian magistrate and the Meloni government, who attempts to promote radical reforms to the judicial system. Many critics say this puts the independence of the judiciary at risk.
Italian courts have also been challenging Meloni’s flagship plan to transfer migrants to expensive reception centres built in Albania for quick processing.
