INDIA: Italy's envoy urges Indian authorities to release two Italian marines accused of shooting two Indian fishermen

Record ID: 1375170

  • Title: INDIA: Italy's envoy urges Indian authorities to release two Italian marines accused of shooting two Indian fishermen
  • Date: 13th March 2012
  • Summary: THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, KERALA, INDIA (MARCH 12, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI - NO ACCESS BBC) ITALIAN UNDERSECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, STAFFAN DE MISTURA, ARRIVING AT KERALA CHIEF MINISTER OOMEN CHANDY'S OFFICE AND WALKING TOWARDS LIFT SIGN READING 'OOMEN CHANDY, CHIEF MINISTER' (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALIAN UNDERSECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, STAFFAN DE MISTURA, SAYING: "I recognise also the fact that the judges are trying to do their job as quickly as possible. At the same time we are very concerned about the fact that the Italian military need to be judged in Italy, we are already having a judge looking for that. If that would have happened in Italy, the Indian military would be judged in India, not in Italy." MISTURA TALKING TO JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ITALIAN UNDERSECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, STAFFAN DE MISTURA, SAYING: "They are being treated with dignity and attention, our wish is that they would not be in a jail but in a guesthouse because they are military and they have not yet been condemned and they should not be condemned in India." MISTURA GREETING PEOPLE BEFORE MOVING TOWARDS HIS CAR MISTURA'S CAR LEAVING KOCHI, KERALA, INDIA (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (ANI - NO ACCESS BBC) VIEW OF A DOCKYARD ITALIAN SHIP 'ENRICA LEXIE' DOCKED ENRICA LEXIE SIGN READING 'EMBARKATION JETTY'
  • Embargoed: 28th March 2012 00:42
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India, India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA8JFQU7BDNJ9LN5CF2VGCM8ZKW
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: Italy's Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Steffan De Mistura urged Indian authorities to release two Italian marines from jail on Monday (March 12) during a visit to the southern Indian state of Kerala.
    The marines are suspected of shooting two Indian fishermen they believed to be pirates.
    They were assigned to protect the Italian merchant vessel Enrica Lexie, which was sailing off the Indian coast when they opened fire to avert what they thought was a pirate attack.
    The marines, Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, handed themselves in to authorities in the southern coastal town of Kochi after the incident and were held in a police-guarded guest house before being transferred to a prison last week.
    Italy insists that India has no jurisdiction over the matter because it occurred in international waters.
    De Mistura spoke to reporters after meeting with the Chief Minister of the Indian southern state, Oomen Chandy.
    "I recognise also the fact that the judges are trying to do their job as quickly as possible. At the same time we are very concerned about the fact that the Italian military need to be judged in Italy, we are already having a judge looking for that. If that would have happened in Italy, the Indian military would be judged in India, not in Italy," he said.
    "They are being treated with dignity and attention, our wish is that they would not be in a jail but in a guesthouse because they are military and they have not yet been condemned and they should not be condemned in India," Mistura added.
    Italy argues that, since the marines were aboard an Italian vessel, any investigation or trial should be conducted by Italy according to international law governing the high seas.
    The Indian foreign ministry says the jurisdiction is theirs.
    Rome began assigning military teams to protect its merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean last year after a series of attacks by Somali pirates on Italian ships.
    Pirates operating in small fishing vessels and fast motorboats have hijacked dozens of ships in the region in recent years, extracting millions of dollars in ransom.
  • Copyright Holder: ANI (India)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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