Italy’s highest appeals court has ordered the government to compensate a group of migrants who were stranded at sea for days on a coast guard vessel in 2018 due to then-Interior minister Matteo Salvini’s tough anti-migration policies.

An Eritrean who was among a group of sea migrants held on an Italian coast guard vessel for 10 days in 2018 is entitled to compensation, Italy's top appeals court has ruled, triggering the fury of Italy's right-wing government.

Italian government leaders voiced outrage on Friday after Italy's highest appeals court ordered Rome to compensate migrants who were held on a coast guard vessel for 10 days in 2018.

Italy's highest court on Friday ruled that the government must pay compensation to a group of migrants who were held for around 10 days in 2018 on a coastguard ship after being rescued in the Mediterranean.

The case concerns more than 150 migrants who in August 2018 were blocked at sea on the Diciotti coast guard vessel as then-Interior Minister Matteo Salvini refused to let them disembark in the Sicilian port of Catania.