New Delhi:
Italy has slammed as "unacceptable" the serious maritime security charge levelled against two Italian marines accused of killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in 2012.
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The Supreme Court will conduct a hearing next week on whether the Italians can be charged under a strict anti-piracy law.
The government has said it will not seek the death penalty if the naval officers are convicted under the law that is part of an anti-terror act.
Italy strongly opposes India invoking the law, arguing that it would equate to treating the naval officers as terrorists.
"Two Italian marines appointed to fight terrorism or prevent it, to be considered under a terrorist law... that makes it outrageously difficult for anyone to accept," Italian envoy Staffan Di Mistura told NDTV.
The marines, part of a military security team protecting a cargo ship, say they mistook the fishermen for pirates and fired warning shots into the water.
Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone were arrested; they are on bail but cannot leave India.
The Italian government approached the Supreme Court in Delhi last month to demand that the marines be allowed to return home, given that charges are yet to be filed two years after the alleged incident.
Italy insists the pair should be tried on home soil as the shootings involved an Italian-flagged vessel in what Rome insists were international waters. India asserts the killings took place in waters under its jurisdiction.
In February 2013, the marines were allowed by the Supreme Court to fly home to vote in the national election. Italy then said they would not return to face trial, triggering a huge confrontation.
The marines were sent back on a special plane a month later, with India stating that they would not face the death penalty.
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