Italy on Wednesday asked the judges at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) to order India to release its detained marine Salvatore Girone otherwise he risks four more years in India without any charges being made which would amount to “grave violation of his human rights”.
The PCA is hearing the oral arguments by the two sides in the matter on Wednesday and Thursday.
The arbitration “could last at least three or four years” which means that Girone risks “being held in (New) Delhi, without any charges being made, for a total of seven-eight years”, Italy’s representative told the court, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Girone is one of two Italian marines accused by India of killing two of its fishermen during an anti-piracy mission in 2012.
He has not been able to leave India, aside from a few brief permits, since the incident. The other marine, Massimiliano latorre, is back in Italy after having a stroke in 2014.