Hamburg court confirms Italy motions on marines in India

(ANSA) - New Delhi, July 22 - The Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on Wednesday confirmed Italy has filed a motion in relation to the case of two Italian marines being held in India suspected of killing two Indian fishermen during an anti-piracy mission in 2012.
    The motion was filed based on Article 290 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the court said in a communique it sent to ANSA in New Delhi.
    That article said any precautionary measures undertaken by one party against another in a maritime dispute can be lifted once the case has gone to court.
    Italy requested that India refrain from taking judicial action against marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, that it refrain from exercising jurisdiction with regards to their case, and that it "immediately lift all restrictions on the marines' freedom of movement".
    Prosecutors at the Indian Supreme Court earlier this month agreed to a motion presented by Italy to take the marines' case to international arbitration.
    Italy presented its request for international arbitration under the terms of the UN Convention of the Law of the Sea agreement in a bid to end a 40-month diplomatic and legal deadlock between the two countries.
    Latorre is currently in Italy on medical leave while Girone is living at the Italian Embassy in New Delhi.