By TCN News,
Bhopal: The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) has expressed dismay and deep anguish at the Italian Government’s decision not to return two of its marines who skipped bail while on trial for murder in India.
SDPI national president, E. Abubacker, in a statement condemned the sudden U-turn taken by the Italian Government to blatantly violate the undertaking given by its Ambassador to India Daniele Mancini to Supreme Court of India that the marines would return in four weeks to face legal proceedings in India.
The Supreme Court in February had allowed the marines - Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone - to fly to Italy to vote in the February 24-25 national elections. The marines, posted as security cover on board Italian oil tanker Enrica Lexie, had shot dead two Indian fishermen Feb 15 last year, mistaking them for pirates.
Abubacker said that if Italy has now discovered that according to the principle of immunity from trial by the organs of a foreign State, the two marines do not come under New Delhi's jurisdiction. This should be pleaded by the lawyers of the marines in the Supreme Court and if not granted relief then they can easily approach International Court later on to get justice. If indeed, the Italians are sure that they are in the right, surely they should not belittle the Indian judicial system by first promising to return the officers and then going back on their word, he added.
The Italian Ambassador enjoys diplomatic immunity and can't be arrested for having given false undertaking. But the least we can do is to declare him persona non grata, shunt him out of the country within 24 hours and do not approve his successor till this imbroglio is settled, Abubacker demanded.
The statement stated that the Italians have also been saying that the incident took place in international waters, a point contested by India. While the Italians, clearly in breach of trust, are quoting from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in defence of their marines, the Indian government has come up with various half-hearted responses.
