Anti‑mafia prosecutor Giorgia Righi has become the latest target in a wave of threats after requesting a six‑year prison term for Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League party. Death threats and sexist insults directed at her for pursuing the sentence forced authorities to provide protective police attention. Weeks earlier the same precaution was ordered for her Palermo colleagues Marzia Sabella and Geri Ferrara. The three prosecutors form part of the Palermo district team that has accused the minister of abuse of power and seizure of persons for blocking in 2019, at sea, a Spanish NGO vessel named Open Arms with 147 migrants aboard for twenty days. The trial resumed this Friday.
The lawyers have not publicly commented on the security situation and are evaluating whether to pursue legal action against those pressuring them, described as supporters of the right‑wing politician. The National Association of Magistrates concluded a climate of tension is taking shape around the case.
Salvini himself appeared in court and spoke about his stance, saying he would stand tall in spite of the proceedings. He arrived in person in the chamber at the Pagliarelli prison in Palermo and took the floor in the session just before the hearing resumed. A small demonstration of support for Salvini was heard from loudspeakers, which also carried portions of the defense presented by his attorney Giulia Bongiorno.
In Spain
In the following remarks, Bongiorno explained her expectation for acquittal, arguing that the alleged incident never occurred. She claimed the Open Arms ship had numerous opportunities to disembark the migrants but repeatedly declined to do so, instead wandering around rather than returning to its flag country.
The Spanish NGO Open Arms rejected the defense’s arguments in a formal statement. It emphasized that the people aboard were inhumanely treated and particularly vulnerable, kept for nineteen days despite their physical and psychological fragility, and came from Libya where they had suffered violence and abuse.
Salvini was accompanied by several senior figures from his party, including four ministers from the current government led by Giorgia Meloni, though Meloni herself was away on a trip to Lebanon. The ministers present included Roberto Calderoli, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Francesco Valditara, and Alessandra Locatelli.
This development has left observers weighing the possible outcomes, as the verdict could carry unpredictable implications for Meloni’s government. The decision is expected to be delivered on December 20 by the Palermo court.
Awaiting the ruling, the court, the parties, and political observers remain attentive to how the case may influence both the administration and the broader debate over migration, state power, and accountability in Italy.