- Scotland captain Tuipulotu ruled out of Six Nations
- Amorim's blast exposes depth of Man Utd decline
- Biden pre-emptively pardons Trump foes
- McCullum sees India series as ideal prep for Champions Trophy
- Trump 'triumphs' in Albanian art exhibition
- Marquez eyeing seventh MotoGP crown in Ducati dream team
- UK teen pleads guilty to girls' murder that triggered riots
- Swiatek has 'closure' after WADA says won't appeal in doping case
- Lys says 'nicest week in my life' as historic Melbourne run ends
- Activists slam 'destructive' Indonesia forest conversion plan
- Fire at Belgrade retirement home kills eight
- Qualifier Tien will remember 'surreal' Australian Open forever
- Fashion world in flux for men's week in Paris
- Missing US journalist's mother says new Syria leaders 'determined' to find son
- Indian rapist murderer of doctor sentenced to life in prison: judge
- Low expectations in Beijing ahead of Trump's second coming
- Merciless Swiatek crushes 'lucky loser' Lys to reach Melbourne quarters
- Shelton halts Monfils to set up Australian Open quarter with Sonego
- Bitcoin hits record above $109,000 awaiting Trump
- Israel-Hamas truce holding after first hostage-prisoner swap
- Triumphant Trump set for return to power
- Sonego ends teenage qualifier Tien's Australian Open fairytale
- Marcos denounces 'woke' sex education bill in Catholic Philippines
- Sinner beats heat and broken net to make Australian Open quarters
- Indonesia launches international carbon exchange
- Djokovic row as Sinner, Swiatek eye Australian Open last eight
- Champions League giants scrap for knockout spots
- India's 'digital arrest' scammers stealing savings
- Mug shot, solitary cell for South Korea's President Yoon
- Trade wars, culture wars, and anti-immigration: Trump's big promises
- Thunder bounce back to down struggling Nets
- Young Chinese turn to AI pets for emotional relief
- Allen outguns Jackson as Bills beat Ravens, Eagles sink Rams
- Champions Cup success perfect Six Nations warm-up - France skipper Dupont
- Yamal symbol of rising Barca aiming for Champions League progress
- Asian markets track Wall St and Europe rally after Trump-Xi talks
- Trial into stabbing spree that sparked UK far-right riots to open
- No sweat, no shake as Svitolina cruises into Melbourne quarters
- Late night tears and hugs for released Palestinian prisoners
- Trump vows to end 'American decline' at inauguration eve rally
- TV host issues on-air apology to Djokovic over 'insulting' comments
- 'No matter the faith': east Ukraine marks Epiphany despite war divide
- Straka shakes off nerves to win US PGA American Express
- New 'oligarchy' under fire as elites descend on Davos
- Smile Hair Clinic: Redefining Hair Transplantation in Turkey
- Barkley dashes through the snow as Eagles beat Rams
- Djokovic condemns 'violence' against protesters in Serbia
- Barkley powers through the snow as Eagles beat Rams
- Trump vows 'speed and strength' at inauguration eve rally
- 'Back on track': Trump supporters brave freezing conditions to attend rally
Italian prosecutors seek six-year sentence for Salvini
Italian prosecutors Saturday requested a six-year prison sentence for Matteo Salvini, Italy's far-right deputy prime minister, for blocking migrants from disembarking at one of the country's ports in 2019.
Salvini, a partner in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition, is on trial for alleged deprivation of liberty and abuse of office for keeping 147 migrants at sea for weeks on a ship run by the Open Arms charity.
"The prosecution has asked for former interior minister Salvini to be sentenced to six years," Open Arms' lawyer Arturo Salerni told AFP, as the "long and difficult trial" nears an end.
A verdict in the trial, which began in October 2021, could come next month, he said. Salvini would be free to appeal any decision.
Salvini was not present, but on Facebook he said: "Six years in prison for having blocked arrivals and defended Italy and Italians? Madness. Defending Italy is not a crime."
Meloni also criticised the prosecutors.
"It is incredible that a minister of the Italian Republic risks 6 years in prison for doing his job defending the nation's borders, as required by the mandate received from its citizens," the prime minister wrote on X.
In summing up, prosecutor Geri Ferrara told the Palermo court in Sicily that there was "one key principle that is not debatable".
"Between human rights and the protection of state sovereignty, it is human rights that must prevail in our fortunately democratic system," he said.
The ship was stuck at sea for nearly three weeks before the migrants were finally allowed to disembark on the island of Lampedusa following a court order.
Members of Open Arms have testified that the migrants' physical and mental well-being reached a crisis point as sanitary conditions onboard became dire, including a scabies outbreak.
- 'Chaos' -
Salvini, head of the anti-immigration League party and interior minister at the time, testified in January that he had understood that "the situation was not at risk" onboard the ship.
"The POS (safe port) should have been provided immediately and without delay," prosecutor Marzia Sabella said Saturday, according to Italian media reports.
"Refusing to do so was breaking the rules, not being in line with a government plan," and Salvini's "choices" had given rise to "chaos", she said.
A populist known for an "Italians first" policy, Salvini has repeatedly used attacks against illegal immigration to boost his political capital.
In 2019, serving under prime minister Giuseppe Conte, he implemented a "closed ports" policy under which Italy refused entry to charity ships that rescue migrants stranded while crossing the Mediterranean.
He cast it as a tough measure against traffickers who operate boats between North Africa and Italy and Malta, the deadliest migrant crossing in the world.
Much of the trial has been focused on determining whether the decision-making and responsibility in the case lay with the Conte government or Salvini alone.
Salvini has previously faced a similar trial, accused of refusing to allow 116 migrants to disembark from an Italian coastguard boat in July 2019. But it was thrown out by a court in Catania in 2021.
X.M.Francisco--PC