New Delhi:
With the Supreme Court due to decide next week on whether to try the two Italian marines facing criminal proceedings in India for the killing of two Indian fishermen under a stringent anti-piracy and anti-terror act, Italy has reacted with outrage.
Speaking to NDTV, Italy's special envoy on the marines issue, Staffan Di Mistura, who is in Delhi to negotiate their return to Rome with the government, has called the idea of charging military men under such a law totally unacceptable, even though death sentences would be excluded as a possible sentence.
"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. Secondly, the anti-terrorism law is putting the burden on who is accused which makes it a very difficult case for anyone to actually defend itself, unless he is a terrorist. That is why in Italy, not only in Italy, you saw it Europe, there was a feeling of outrage, of surprise, of shock," Mr Di Mistura told NDTV.
He also insisted that the matter be dealt with by Italian courts where legal proceedings against them are apparently already underway, but stalled until their return.
Italian marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, part of a military security team protecting a cargo ship, allegedly fired at Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala in February 2012 in which two of them died.
Charges have yet to be filed against the two, partly due to confusion as to what law the men should be prosecuted under. They are on bail but cannot leave India.
The case has strained relations between the two countries. Italy yesterday said that India's relations with Rome and with the European Union could suffer if two marines are tried under the anti-piracy and anti-terrorism act.