The ex-president Jair Bolsonaro must send a video message to a rally in support of Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, who risks six years in prison for preventing the disembarkation of a ship carrying forced migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea.
The event will take place next Sunday in Pontida, Lombardy, the scene of a traditional annual event of the nationalist League party, led by Salvini.
“Numerous foreign delegations are expected, as well as some ‘big names’, such as Hungarian [Prime Minister] Viktor Orbán, Dutchman Geert Wilders and Portuguese André Ventura,” said a statement from the party.
“Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, engaged in a political demonstration in France, will send a video message, as will former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro,” the note adds.
According to the League, more than 100 signatures have already been collected on a petition in support of Salvini, who is accused by the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office of kidnapping people and omitting official documents.
The case concerns an order issued by the nationalist leader when he was interior minister in August 2019 to prevent the disembarkation of 147 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean by the Spanish NGO ship ProActiva Open Arms.
At the time, the vessel remained parked for 20 days in front of the island of Lampedusa, and most of the people on board were only able to disembark in Italy after an intervention by the Administrative Court, which ordered their disembarkation for health reasons.
The prosecutor called for Salvini to be sentenced to six years in prison, arguing that a shipwrecked person must be saved regardless of their “classification, whether migrant, passenger or crew member”.
“There is an indisputable fundamental principle: between human rights and the protection of State sovereignty, it is human rights that must prevail in our legal system, fortunately democratic,” said the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The deputy prime minister claims innocence and that he acted to protect the borders against “illegal immigrants”. (HANDLE)
