By Our Correspondent
THE relatives of the two Indian fishermen who were allegedly shot dead by marines onboard Italian oil tanker Enrica Lexie on February 15 have forgiven them.
In a letter addressed to the Consul General of Italy in Mumbai, each one of the six dependents of the fishermen Valentine Jelestine and Ajeesh Pink said the incident was unfortunate and they were aggrieved by it. However, they added that the Italian marines were being forgiven in the Name of Jesus Christ. The cases filed against the marines by the slain fishermen’s dependents were being withdrawn, they added. The dependents also told the marines that God would save them from the remaining cases and other legal hurdles they face in India.
“In the name of Jesus we forgive the marines – chief master sergeant Massimiliano Latorre and sergeant Salvatore Girone – said to be involved in the incident. We pray to Jesus that the ordeals of the marines may end at the earliest,” the statement said.
As part of the quid pro quo, the Italian officials on April 24 handed over ex gratia payment of Rs. 2 crore each to the family members of the fishermen. The two parties had arrived at a final agreement in the Lok Adalat.
Although the letters of pardon have no validity in India as criminal cases in the country are followed up by the government, instead of the victims or their dependents, the act of forgiveness on the part of the fishermen’s families is significant and would go a long way in glorifying the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, a Christian worker who did not wish to be named told The Christian Messenger.
The Ministry of External Affairs said that criminal proceedings against the marines will continue unaffected by the settlement reached between Italy and the dependents of the victims.
The Kerala government also took a contentious stance, with its counsel telling the court that the place of occurrence of the alleged crime is 20.5 nautical miles and not 33 nautical miles as stated in the agreement.
Italian officials handed over demand drafts to the dependents of the fishermen at the Lok Adalat, following which both the parties approached Justice AM Shaffique’s court in the afternoon session for obtaining the court’s approval and withdrawal of compensation suits, a report in today’s Times of India said.
Compensation of Rs 1 crore for the deceased Valentine was split equally among his wife Doramma and his two sons, Derrick and Jeen, whereas the payment to Ajeesh’s two minor sisters, Abhimanya Xavier and Aguna Xavier, was received by their aunt Janet Mary.
