The open conflict between Italy's far-right-dominated government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a section of the country's judiciary entered a new phase on Tuesday, January 28. In a solemn video message posted on her Facebook account, the leader of the far-right Fratelli d'Italia party announced that she was being investigated by prosecutors in Rome in connection with the Osama Najim affair. On January 21, the Libyan militiaman, the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and war crimes, including torture and rape, was repatriated by the Italian government to Tripoli after being arrested in Turin and subsequently released.

A controversy ensued against a backdrop of tensions between the executive and the judiciary catalyzed by Meloni's migration policy. Resistance from the judiciary is developing against the backdrop of a reform of the justice system that some judges denounce as designed to curb their independence. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Secretary of the Council of Ministers Alfredo Mantovano, whose responsibilities include overseeing the intelligence services, are also being investigated.

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