Giordy71@
00domenica 15 aprile 2012 22:47
The detention in prison in southern India of two Italian anti-piracy marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen was extended by two more weeks by a magistrate on Monday.
Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone have been at the centre of a diplomatic row between the countries since being detained in February after an incident that took place while they were guarding an Italian merchant ship.
The pair are being held in a special section of a jail in the city of Thiruvananthapuram.
A separate court is considering Italy's claim that it should have jurisdiction for the case, not India, as the incident took place aboard an Italian vessel in international waters.
The Italian government also believes that, regardless of who has jurisdiction, the marines should be exempt from prosecution in India as they were military personnel working on an anti-piracy mission.
Italy has said the marines fired warning shots from the merchant ship they were guarding, the Enrica Lexie, after coming under attack from pirates.
It said they followed the proper international procedures for dealing with pirate attacks, which are frequent in the Indian Ocean.
The Indian authorities, on the other hand, said the marines failed to show sufficient "restraint" by opening fire after mistaking the fishermen for pirates.
Indian ballistic experts said earlier this month that the bullets recovered from the bodies of fishermen are compatible with Beretta rifles confiscated from the Enrica Lexie.