The supreme Court of Cassation on
Friday rejected an appeal by Agrigento prosecutors against a
July ruling that released Sea-Watch3 captain Carola Rackete from
house arrest.
The 31-year-old woman from Germany was arrested after
allegedly hitting a finance police vessel as she defied a ban in
order to land 40 migrants on the island of Lampedusa, saying she
was afraid some might commit suicide after being at sea for 17
days following a rescue off Libya.
She said she could not avoid the finance police vessel and
had not rammed it deliberately.
The Sea-Watch3 is run by the German migrant rescue NGO
Sea-Watch and flies a Dutch flag.
The supreme court ruling was slammed by former interior
minister Matteo Salvini, Rackete's old antagonist, who may face
trial for allegedly kidnapping migrants on board a coastguard
ship last summer.
"The injustice in Italy is incredible," said Salvini, leader
of the opposition nationalist and anti-migrant League party.
"It is deemed that a German young woman, who risked killing
Italian (police), should not be tried," he said, referring to
the ramming.
"And on the contrary they want to try a minister who defended
his country's borders.
"Let them do so, let them send me to trial, but they'll need
a very big court because I think the overwhelming majority of
the Italian people will be with me".
A parliamentary immunity panel will meet January 20 to rule
on lifting Salvini's immunity to face a possible kidnapping
trial.
IN the past, when he was in government withe the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), a panel ruled not to
lift his immunity and he escaped trial.
But the parliamentary dynamics have now changed.
Many observers expect him to have to face trial this time, in
the case of the Gregoretti ship.
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