- Italy’s Cassation Court overturns prior ruling, orders compensation for 177 stranded migrants
- 2018 standoff left migrants aboard Diciotti ship for 10 days under Salvini’s orders
- Premier Meloni condemns decision as ‘using taxpayer funds for illegal migrants’
- Ruling intensifies conflict between judiciary and Meloni’s proposed judicial reforms
- Case highlights EU migration policy tensions and Italy’s hardline border strategies
In a landmark decision, Italy’s highest appeals court has mandated the government provide financial compensation to nearly 200 Eritrean migrants stranded aboard the Diciotti coast guard vessel in August 2018. The ruling reverses a previous court decision and marks a significant challenge to former Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s controversial ‘closed ports’ policy, which blocked humanitarian ships from docking during his tenure.
Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose coalition government includes Salvini’s League party, sharply criticized the Cassation Court’s verdict as ‘legally questionable and morally flawed.’ In a Friday social media statement, she argued the decision forces Italian taxpayers to ‘subsidize those who attempted to violate our immigration laws’ – a framing likely to resonate with her conservative base ahead of June’s European Parliament elections.
The 2018 crisis unfolded when the Diciotti ship initially disembarked 13 medically vulnerable migrants on Lampedusa before Salvini blocked the remaining 177 from leaving the vessel in Catania for over a week. Legal analysts note this marked the first major test of Salvini’s security decree laws, which imposed million-euro fines on NGO rescue ships. While the court didn’t personally convict Salvini, it reaffirmed that state authorities bear responsibility for humanitarian obligations under international law.
This verdict arrives amid escalating tensions between Meloni’s government and the judiciary over proposed reforms that would politically influence magistrates’ assignments. Critics, including former Constitutional Court President Gustavo Zagrebelsky, warn these changes could erode judicial independence – a concern amplified by recent rulings against Meloni’s migration policies, including her plan to build Albanian detention centers.
The court’s emphasis on procedural transparency (Article 111 of Italy’s Constitution) suggests an institutional pushback against expedited border procedures. As migration researcher Marco Bertotto notes: ‘This ruling establishes that prolonged maritime containment violates both EU asylum directives and the European Convention on Human Rights – a precedent that could impact Mediterranean states’ border strategies.’
With 145,000 migrant arrivals to Italy in 2023 – a 50% increase from 2022 – the compensation decision fuels debates about balancing border security and human rights. Analysts predict intensified parliamentary efforts to shield officials from legal liability in future standoffs, potentially through amendments to the upcoming Albania migration deal legislation.