Prosecutors in Italy have launched a surprise appeal to overturn the 2023 acquittal of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, reigniting legal battles over his 2019 decision to block a migrant-laden NGO ship from entering Italian waters. The move, which Salvini and his allies describe as “judicial warfare,” represents the latest clash between populist leaders and activist judges over national sovereignty and border control.
The case involves the Spanish NGO vessel Open Arms, which attempted to unload 147 illegal migrants onto the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2019. Then-Interior Minister Salvini ordered the port closed for three weeks, arguing that allowing entry would undermine national security and reward human trafficking networks. Prosecutors accused him of kidnapping and sought a six-year prison sentence.
Salvini was fully acquitted in December by a Sicilian tribunal, which ruled that no crime had been committed and that Salvini’s actions reflected his role as a government minister upholding public policy. Despite this, prosecutors announced Friday they would bypass standard appeals and petition Italy’s Supreme Court directly through a per saltum motion.
State attorneys now argue Salvini lacked the authority to deny entry to the Open Arms ship, citing international law and claiming there was no imminent threat to Italy’s security. The move has been widely criticized by right-wing leaders and legal analysts as politically motivated.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the renewed prosecution, calling it “surreal” and questioning why so many public resources are spent pursuing a fully acquitted government official. Salvini responded, “The Tribunal has me acquitted because the fact does not exist. Defending borders is not a crime.”
The appeal comes amid broader tensions between Italy’s elected leaders and the judiciary over immigration, with Meloni’s migrant transfer plan to Albania facing similar legal roadblocks.
