India's top court Wednesday granted an Italian marine detained over the killing of two fishermen another three months at home on health grounds in the latest chapter of a legal battle that has caused a diplomatic row. Massimiliano Latorre and his fellow marine Salvatore Girone are accused of shooting the fishermen while protecting an Italian oil tanker as part of an anti-piracy mission off India's southern Kerala coast in 2012.
The incident, which is now subject to international arbitration, has badly strained relations between Rome and New Delhi, particularly after the two marines overstayed in Italy after being allowed home in early 2013 to vote in general elections. Both marines were then barred from leaving India again pending a trial, but Latorre was allowed to travel back to Italy in 2014 for medical treatment after he suffered a blood blockage in his brain.
The court on Wednesday extended Latorre's permission to stay in Italy until April 30. The other marine, Girone, is living at Italy's embassy in New Delhi and remains barred from leaving India pending a resolution of the dispute. Italy initiated arbitration proceedings last year and, in August, a UN body, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), ordered India to suspend court proceedings against the pair.
ITLOS rejected Rome's request for both marines to be freed immediately pending a final ruling. The detention of the marines, the murder charges and the long wait for the case to be resolved are sore subjects in Italy with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi regularly flayed by opposition leaders for failing to get both men home.
Comments
Comments are closed.