Overview

• On July 18, 2025, Italy’s public prosecutor filed an appeal against Salvini’s December acquittal, elevating the case to the Supreme Court in Rome.
• The Supreme Court review has no hearing date scheduled.
• A Palermo court cleared Salvini of kidnapping and abuse of office for blocking the Open Arms ship in 2019 when it carried more than 160 migrants off Lampedusa.
• Prosecutors had sought six years in prison after migrants jumped into the sea and tried to swim ashore during the weeks-long standoff until a judge ordered the ship’s docking.
• Salvini and his right-wing coalition allies frame the appeal as politicized legal interference while critics argue it underlines the need for accountability under international asylum norms.