The Italian government stunned India by blocking the return of its two marines Salvatore Latorre and Massimiliano Girone, who are facing murder charges in India. The Italian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that the “killer” marines won’t stand trial in India.
The two marines had been in jail since February 2012 for allegedly shooting two Indian fishermen dead off Kerala Coast in the Arabian Sea. They were guarding an Italian oil tanker at that time. They had obtained a four-week break from the Supreme Court of India to go home and vote in general elections in Italy.
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When the marines had left India during Christmas, Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi had sent a “letter of guarantee” to India’s External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, assuring him of their return and they returned too. But, this time, Italy took India’s generosity for granted.
But, now the Italian government has gone back on its promises, saying the marines’ trial in India would be in violation of the International Law. It also accused the Indian government of not responding to its requests to seek a diplomatic solution to the case.