ROME, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- A special Italian court that deals with crimes committed by government ministers has recommended that Interior Minister Matteo Salvini face trial on charges of kidnapping for refusing to let rescued migrants disembark from an Italian ship last summer, the right-wing minister said on social media on Thursday.
In August, Salvini refused for a week to let over 100 migrants disembark from the Italian Coast Guard's Diciotti vessel after its crew had rescued them in the Mediterranean.
"I risk 3-15 years in prison for preventing illegal immigrants from disembarking in Italy," tweeted Salvini, who also serves as deputy prime minister and whose right-wing, anti-immigrant League party is currently polling at around 30 percent.
"I will continue working to defend my country's borders and the security of the people of Italy," he exclaimed.
The special court must obtain authorization from parliament in order to proceed against a sitting minister.
Also on Thursday, a vessel with 47 rescued migrants on board run by the Sea Watch humanitarian group was heading towards Sicily in search of shelter from a storm, prompting a hardline response from Salvini, who has banned non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from Italy's ports.
"We reiterate that our policy won't change," the Italian news agency ANSA cited the minister as saying. "We are ready to send food, medicine and whatever may be needed, but Italy's ports are and will remain closed."
Salvini was backed up by Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio of the populist Five Star Movement, who said on Facebook that Italy will provide "medical and health support" but that Sea Watch should take the rescued migrants to France instead of "waiting uselessly for days in Italian waters".
Sea Watch NGO tweeted that "a cyclone is hitting the Mediterranean (with) 7-meter waves, rain and icy wind. Sea Watch (the NGO's migrant rescue ship) is sailing in this storm looking for shelter, carrying the 47 shipwreck survivors rescued last Saturday ... this is the sixth day of navigation without a safe port for the 47 rescuees on board. They need immediate assistance."
This follows on the latest tug-of-war over migrants, which saw Europe refuse access to 49 rescued men, women and children left stranded aboard two German NGO vessels for three weeks over Christmas and New Year's.
Salvini earlier this month reluctantly agreed to take in some of the rescued asylum seekers, after the European Union (EU) announced a deal had been reached for them to be distributed among Germany, France, Portugal, Malta, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Italy, Romania and Ireland.
Immigration is a hot-button issue with Italian voters ahead of the European Parliament elections to be held in May.
