ROME: Italy has recalled its ambassador to India after two members of an anti-piracy unit were charged with the murder of two Indian fishermen in February, the foreign ministry said in a statement yesterday.
The two Italian marines, who were members of a security detachment protecting the merchant vessel Enrica Lexie, have been held in southern India since surrendering to local authorities.
Police in the state of Kerala formally charged the Italian servicemen with murder earlier on Friday, accusing them of shooting the unarmed fishermen. This heightened a tense standoff with Rome since the arrests.
One of the charges carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment but another can be punished by death, although the central government would have to approve that. India has not used the death penalty for several years, the state’s deputy public prosecutor K.O. Raju said.
Italy recalls ambassador to India after marines charged
