Italy's hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini said on Thursday he did not fear going to prison for leaving migrants stranded in the Mediterranean due to his closure of the country's ports to rescue ships.
"I could get three to 15 years in jail for having prevented illegal immigrants from entering Italy. I'm speechless," Salvini said in a video on Facebook.
"Am I afraid? Not at all. I will continue to protect my country's borders and to keep Italians safe. I won't give up!"
Salvini posted the video the same day that a special court in the Sicilian port city of Catania allegedly asked permission from the Italian Senate to begin legal action against him in the case of 177 migrants who spent 10 days stuck aboard the Italian coastguard vessel Diciotti after Salvini refused to allow them to disembark at Catania's port.
