India has told an international tribunal that the case of two Italian marines, accused of killing two Indian fishermen off Kerala’s coast, comes under its jurisdiction and Italy’s contentions in this regard were “misleading”.
Challenging Italy’s contention that Sergeant Girone has been kept in India as a “hostage”, India said such description is highly inappropriate and offensive and belies the fact that both marines were twice allowed to travel to Italy at the same time.
In its submission before the International Tribunal on Law of the Sea (ITLOS) here, India said the story told by Italy is as “short and straightforward as it is misleading” as the incident took place in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, thus it has full jurisdiction over the Marines Case.
“Marines used automatic weapons without warning and shot in head and stomach of the two fishermen.This case is not covered by Article 97 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea but rather a double murder at sea,” India’s representative submitted before the Tribunal.
Marines Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, who were on board ship ‘Enrica Lexie’, are accused of killing two Indian fishermen on February 15, 2012.
India requested the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to reject the submissions made by Italy in its request for prescription of provisional measures in the case.