ROME (AP) — A judge in Sicily has ordered former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini to stand trial on kidnapping charges for having refused to let a Spanish migrant rescue ship dock in an Italian port. Salvini is accused of kidnapping for having kept the migrants at sea off the coast of Lampedusa for days in August 2019. The judge set the trial date for Sept. 15. Salvini, who is the leader of the right-wing League party, was on hand for the preliminary hearing Saturday in the bunker courtroom of the Palermo tribunal. He tweeted that he was certain he did the right thing under Italian law, “defending the security and dignity of Italy” by refusing entry to the Open Arms rescue ship.
Italy’s Salvini to stand trial for 2019 migrant standoff
