the sensational sentence in Ragusa –

A decision that is destined to spark fierce controversy. Three migrants accused of being smugglers were acquitted, for two the judging panel of the Court of Ragusa considered that they acted out of “state of necessity” and for another there was an acquittal for not having committed the crime. The investigation concerned two maxi landings that occurred in Pozzallo in May 2017, when the Fiorillo ship of the Italian Coast Guard arrived first and then a Danish container ship. The commercial vessel rescued 287 people who were on board three rubber dinghies. All three defendants were assisted by the lawyer Italo Alia.

The Collegiate Court (president Andrea Reale, alongside Elio Manenti and Maria Rabili) acquitted all the alleged smugglers who were accused of aggravated aiding and abetting illegal immigration. In the first case it was recognized that he had acted out of “state of necessity”, a decision destined to end up at the center of controversy. The court ruled on the facts relating to the two large-scale landings that occurred in Pozzallo in May 2017.