Eritrean caught in mistaken identity case risks expulsion from Italy

An Eritrean man who spent three years in prison in Italyafter being mistaken for a top migrant smuggler risks being deniedasylum and expelled, a human rights group said Wednesday.Last week, a court in Palermo established that Medhanie TesfamariamBerhe was the victim of a mistaken identity case, and ordered hisimmediate release from prison.But instead of being freed, he was taken to a migrant detentioncentre in Caltanissetta, Sicily, where people are held ahead of theirrepatriation. The ANSA news agency said this happened as a result of newanti-immigration rules spearheaded by Interior Minister MatteoSalvini."There isn't a single reason in the world [...] to deny politicalasylum" to Behre and stop his repatriation to Sudan, where he wasarrested in 2016, Amnesty International Italy said in a statement. According to Amnesty, Italian asylum officials are due to deliver averdict on Behre's application on Friday.Behre was arrested three years ago after Italian and Britishauthorities identified him as a ruthless migrant smuggler known asthe "General." On July 12, Palermo judges said police got the wrong man, butsentenced Behre to five years in prison for the lesser crime ofabetting illegal immigration, for helping two cousins reach Libya.Despite the sentence, they ordered his release from custody. InItaly, jail sentences are normally not executed if appeals againstthem are still possible.