EDINBURGH, UKItalian senators have voted to lift the immunity of the far-right leader of Italy’s Northern League party, Matteo Salvini, meaning he could now face prosecution over allegations he illegally kept more than 100 migrants and refugees at sea in July 2019. Salvini built his political career by standing on a fiercely anti-immigration platform and, as interior minister, introduced a series of measures aimed at reducing the influx across the Mediterranean from North Africa. These included barring NGO rescue ships from Italian ports and controversial legal measures that effectively cut residency permits and integration services for tens of thousands of asylum seekers. Senators on Wednesday voted 152-76 in favour of removing the legal protection that, because he was a former cabinet minister, had been shielding him from prosecution. Salvini has repeatedly said he wants to go to court and is proud of what he did.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 13, 2020 17:15 UTC