Introduction
Italy frees Libyan war crimes suspect despite International Criminal Court warrant
Italian authorities have come under intense criticism from the International Criminal Court (ICC), human rights groups, and the political opposition after freeing and repatriating Osama Almasri Najim, a Libyan judicial police chief accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Just days after Najim was detained in Turin on an international arrest warrant, a judge invalidated his arrest on procedural grounds. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi subsequently signed an expulsion order, citing state security concerns. On 21st January 2025, Najim, who is accused of murder, rape, and torture committed in the detention centres he oversees, was flown back to Libya on an Italian air force plane, where, according to media reports, he received a “hero's welcome”.
In an address to Parliament, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio stated the ICC’s warrant was “marked by inaccuracies, omissions, discrepancies and contradictory conclusions,” leaving Italian authorities unable to act on it. However, critics argue that the decision to release Najim was influenced by Italy's reliance on Libya to curb migrant crossings, a policy formalised in a 2017 deal under then-Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. This arrangement, which provides funds to the Libyan coast guard to intercept migrants before they reach Italian waters, has been widely condemned for exposing migrants to abuse in Libyan detention centres.
At the end of January, it was revealed that Rome prosecutors had initiated an investigation against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Nordio, and Piantedosi for their roles in the release. On 18th February, the ICC officially requested an explanation from Italian authorities regarding their failure to extradite Najim.
Pressure on the judiciary amid criminal trial against deputy PM Salvini
On 20th December 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was found not guilty by a Sicilian court in the so-called Open Arms case. The case stemmed from his 2019 decision as Interior Minister to impose a landing ban on the Open Arms ship, which carried 147 migrants. Due to the ban, the ship remained at sea for almost three weeks, with passengers reportedly facing medical emergencies and deteriorating mental health due to the conditions on board. Some threw themselves overboard, and several minors were evacuated during the standoff. Salvini was accused of kidnapping and abuse of office and faced a potential six-year prison sentence if convicted.
Salvini’s party and the government, including the prime minister, have used the trial as a pretext to attack the judiciary, which they accuse of being politicised and aligned with non-governmental organisations and of enabling uncontrolled mass migration. In September 2024, a wave of online attacks and threats against judges involved in the case prompted increased security measures for the magistrates.
In November 2024, attacks on the judiciary increased following a series of rulings on the application of the Italy-Albania protocol, which seeks to outsource asylum processing to Albania. Several magistrates rejected requests to validate the detention of migrants in Albanian centres, arguing that the government is classifying as “safe countries” those the European Union (EU) considers unsafe, such as Bangladesh and Egypt.
Prime Minister Meloni publicly criticised these rulings in an interview, calling them “prejudicial” and accusing institutions of obstructing the government’s work. Following this, the right-wing newspaper Il Tempo published a leaked email from the deputy public prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, the country's highest court, in which he labelled her remarks “dangerous”. The leaked email was disseminated by Meloni herself on social media as proof of the judiciary’s anti-government orientation, further escalating pressure on the judiciary.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
Mobilisation against security bill
Italy’s Senate is expected to consider the controversial “anti-Gandhi bill” (Bill 1236) in March 2025. The proposal represents a sweeping legal package introducing dozens of new criminal offences and harsher penalties under the pretext of public security. Human rights organisations and international bodies, including Human Rights Watch, UN Special Rapporteurs, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe, have condemned the bill, and over 20 European organisations have called it “the most serious attack on the right to protest in recent decades.”
As previously reported by the CIVICUS Monitor, the bill directly targets non-violent protest and civil disobedience with severe penalties. Protesters blocking traffic could face up to two years in prison, while penalties for defacing property, which have already been tightened under the “eco-vandals law”, would become even harsher. Those deemed to be attempting to “prevent the construction of a public work or strategic infrastructure”, such as environmental activists, would face particularly heavy sentences for protest-related offences.“Threats or violence” could result in up to seven years in prison, while resisting or assaulting a public official could carry a sentence of up to 20 years.
In prisons and migrant detention centres, where protests are frequent due to poor conditions and mistreatment, any form of passive resistance by detainees and inmates—including hunger strikes or refusing to work—would become punishable by harsh prison sentences. Meanwhile, the bill also expands state surveillance and extends the powers of security services, permitting agents to commit criminal offences and to participate in and even lead terrorist organisations if this is done for reasons of national security. Other contentious provisions include allowing police officers to carry certain firearms off duty without a license and allocating public funds—up to EUR 10,000—to cover legal expenses for actions taken in the line of duty.
Civil society groups, trade unions, and thousands of protesters nationwide have mobilised against the bill. On 14th December 2024, ANSA news agency reported that around 50,000 people marched in Rome against the security bill. More than 200 groups participated, including students, trade unions, and social organisations.
On 17th January 2025, activists held a torchlight procession under the slogan “100,000 lights against the darkness of the regime.” In February, the civil society network “No DDL Sicurezza – A Pieno Regime” presented its concerns about Bill 1236 to the European Parliament. On 4th February, the network organised a press conference in Brussels with support from Italian MEPs.
On 22nd February, protests and pickets were held across Italy. Regional marches took place in Milan, Naples, and Bologna, while in Rome, the annual march in memory of murdered anti-fascist activist Valerio Verbano also denounced the Meloni government's security measures. Further demonstrations occurred in Lecce, Brescia, Padua, Trento, Treviso, Genoa, Vicenza, and other cities.
Gendered abuse against activists
In January 2025 in Brescia, police detained 22 activists from Last Generation and Palestina Libera for seven hours following a peaceful protest against Italy’s arms sales to Israel amid the genocide in Gaza.
As reported by human rights watchdog Frontline Defenders, the detainees were denied access to lawyers or family, while the seven women activists were forced into a room and ordered to undress in view of passers-by. The women were also instructed to remove their underwear and squat, a practice commonly associated with drug-related crime. Throughout the ordeal, the door was left open so that they were exposed to the public. In addition, the women were ordered to keep the bathroom door open while they used the toilet under the supervision of a female officer. Frontline Defenders has highlighted that this treatment may amount to gender-based abuse, as the behaviour of the police officers was clearly aimed at intimidating and demeaning the women.
On 12th February 2025, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor publicly shared her communication with the Italian government regarding similar ill-treatment of Last Generation activist Valentina Corona in Bologna in July 2024 (see previous CIVICUS Monitor update). The Rapporteur noted that, since the communication, the Public Prosecutor’s Office has sought to dismiss the complaint filed by Corona following her alleged mistreatment. She expressed deep concern over this development and emphasised the importance of accountability for any potential mistreatment.
“Red zones” threaten right to protest
Under a directive from the Ministry of the Interior, several cities have created so-called “red zones,” restricting access to vaguely defined “dangerous” individuals. According to one such order by the prefect of Milan, circulation in designated areas will be restricted in order to prevent the presence of persons deemed to be “harassing and aggressive, involved in criminal activity, or not complying with immigration regulations.”
The measures apply to areas considered hotspots for illegal activities, such as railway stations, drug-dealing zones, and busy urban districts, including nightlife areas. Police can prevent individuals deemed dangerous from entering these areas and issue removal orders. The initiative has already been implemented in Pisa, Florence, and Bologna, and was introduced in Milan for the New Year period, with the measure in effect until 31st March 2025.
According to legal experts, this restricts the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of movement and, in a broader sense, could constitute a restriction on the freedom of peaceful assembly if the same zones are designated as meeting places for public demonstrations. Given the deteriorating climate for freedom of peaceful assembly in Italy, there is a concern that these measures, reportedly aimed at public security, will be used to further crack down on protest.
Freedom of expression
Journalists, activists targeted with spyware
In February 2025, reports surfaced that investigative journalist Francesco Cancellato, who exposed pro-fascist elements in the youth wing of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, along with activists Husam El Gomati and Luca Casarini, who have been critical of Italy’s complicity in human rights violations in Libya, were targeted by Graphite, military-grade spyware sold exclusively to governments.
On 5th February, the Italian government confirmed that seven mobile phone users in the country had been targeted by spyware on WhatsApp, calling the incident “particularly serious.” Prime Minister Meloni’s office denied involvement and instructed Italy's National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) to investigate. According to media reports, the Israeli company Paragon, which developed the spying software, severed relations with its Italian customers, including a secret service and a law enforcement agency, following the revelations.
On 19th February, Italy’s national union for journalists, the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI) and the Order of Journalists announced they had filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors in Rome after the government blocked questions in parliament regarding the illegal use of spyware. According to reporting by the Guardian, this followed a document signed by Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Italian Parliament, invoking a rule that allowed the government to refrain from answering opposition MPs’ questions, stating that “all unclassified information has already been shared” and any further details were subject to state secrecy.