India should repatriate two Italian marines being held as murder suspects for almost three years and let them be judged by Italian or international courts, the European Parliament said Thursday. It said the marines' detention without charge was a "a serious breach of their human rights," and backed Italian arguments that "jurisdiction [on the case should] fall to the Italian authorities and/or international arbitration. "It was the parliament's first-ever resolution in the case of Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, which has soured relations between Rome and New Delhi. Like all of the assembly's opinions on foreign affairs, it is non-binding. Latorre and Girone were arrested in India in February 2012 on suspicion of shooting to death two fishermen while on anti-piracy duty on an Italian oil tanker. Rome claims the incident took place in international waters, while New Delhi maintains the fishermen were shot in coastal waters under Indian jurisdiction. The marines were later released on bail and allowed to take up residence in the Italian embassy. In September, Latorre was allowed to return home on a temporary basis, after suffering a stroke, but he is supposed to return to India in April. No charges have yet been pressed against the two suspects, because of legal wrangling.
