Thiruvananathapuram:
Family members of the two Italian marines - Lattore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone - visited them at the Central Prison on Thursday where the duo is lodged in connection with the killing of two Indian fishermen off the Alappuzha coast in February. After a meeting that lasted nearly two hours, the family members said they were satisfied with the condition of the marines in jail and also extended their condolences to the families of the two fishermen who were shot dead.
The visitors included the father, mother and wife of Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano's sister and nephew. The vistors arrived on Thursday morning and seeing a group of reporters already gathered at the jail premises, the military attache who had accompanied the family members requested prison officials to arrange the meeting at a quieter place. As per their request, the meeting was arranged inside the prison complex in the presence of the jail superintendent.
A senior prison official who witnessed the meeting told NDTV that it was an emotional moment when the two navy personnel met their family members. The official said Girone was seen hugging his wife, mother and father, who were eager to know about his well-being. Massimiliano too shared some emotional moments with his sister and nephew.
Emerging from the prison complex after the meeting, the family members spoke to the media. Admiral Franco Faure, the military attache accompanying told NDTV that the family members were satisfied with the way the marines were being treated in jail. "They also extended their condolences to the families of the victims," Faure said.
Asked whether the marines' relatives are planning to meet the families of the victims, the military official said, "As of now, there is no such plan." The relatives will be here for over a week and they would meet try to the marines again in jail, he said.
The marines were arrested on February 19 after they allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen -- Valentine Jelastine and Ajeesh Pinku -- off the coast of Alappuzha. The marines, who were guarding an Italian merchant vessel MV Enrica Lexie, claim they mistook the fishermen for pirates. A court in Kollam has extended their judicial custody till April 30. The marines have challenged their arrest, contending that since the incident happened in international waters, Indian law does not apply to them. A petition, seeking quashing of FIR registered against them, is currently being considered by the Kerala High Court.
The visitors included the father, mother and wife of Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano's sister and nephew. The vistors arrived on Thursday morning and seeing a group of reporters already gathered at the jail premises, the military attache who had accompanied the family members requested prison officials to arrange the meeting at a quieter place. As per their request, the meeting was arranged inside the prison complex in the presence of the jail superintendent.
A senior prison official who witnessed the meeting told NDTV that it was an emotional moment when the two navy personnel met their family members. The official said Girone was seen hugging his wife, mother and father, who were eager to know about his well-being. Massimiliano too shared some emotional moments with his sister and nephew.
Emerging from the prison complex after the meeting, the family members spoke to the media. Admiral Franco Faure, the military attache accompanying told NDTV that the family members were satisfied with the way the marines were being treated in jail. "They also extended their condolences to the families of the victims," Faure said.
Asked whether the marines' relatives are planning to meet the families of the victims, the military official said, "As of now, there is no such plan." The relatives will be here for over a week and they would meet try to the marines again in jail, he said.
The marines were arrested on February 19 after they allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen -- Valentine Jelastine and Ajeesh Pinku -- off the coast of Alappuzha. The marines, who were guarding an Italian merchant vessel MV Enrica Lexie, claim they mistook the fishermen for pirates. A court in Kollam has extended their judicial custody till April 30. The marines have challenged their arrest, contending that since the incident happened in international waters, Indian law does not apply to them. A petition, seeking quashing of FIR registered against them, is currently being considered by the Kerala High Court.
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