The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the case of the two Italian marines.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and EFDD groups.
To recall, on the night of 15 February 2012 the Italian commercial vessel Enrica Lexie, en route from Singapore to Djibouti, came across the fishing trawler St Anthony off the coast of Kerala, India. Six Italian marines (marò) were aboard the Enrica Lexie to protect the ship from potential attacks by pirates. Fearing a pirate attack, warning shots were fired at the approaching boat, and two Indian fishermen, were tragically killed.
Members of the Indian police force boarded the vessel, confiscated the marines’ arms and arrested the two Italian marines, which in turn caused diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Parliament expressed great concern at the detention without charge of the Italian marines and stressed that the marines must be repatriated. It also stressed that the lengthy delay and restrictions on the marines’ freedom of movement are unacceptable and represent a serious breach of their human rights.
In this regard, Parliament encouraged the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to take any necessary action to protect the two Italian marines in order to achieve a quick and satisfactory resolution to the case.
Lastly, it recalled that the rights and security of EU citizens in third countries should be safeguarded by the EU diplomatic representation.