THE VIOLENCE IN BOLZANETO IS CONFIRMED
WE HAVE TRUTH BUT NO JUSTICE
Seven years after the events and four years after the beginning of the trial, the Court of Genoa has only partially done justice to the victims of the Bolzaneto lager.
The gravest violations of fundamental rights have been confirmed like the inhuman treatment of the detained and the violence. The officers responsible of the structure have all been condemned. We wait to know the motivations of the sentence to evaluate some parts that seem inexplicable at the moment like absolving some of the accused for facts that seem confirmed, particularly the crimes of falsehood) and the mildness of some of the convictions in the sentence. The absence of a law that punishes torture and the reigning conspiracy of silence amongst those that belong to the Forces of Order has prevented a harder sentence, more in accordance with the seriousness of the ascertained facts.
We retain as positive the fact that the truth has been confirmed, that is, what was denounced and related by the victims of Bolzaneto. We also retain as positive the only part of the condemnation that is not symbolic: a compensation for the damages in the form of a payment of 10.000 euros for those who have suffered the violence and for their families. The conviction to compensate the damages has included the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Justice, proving the full responsibility of the State in the ascertained facts. Due to the prescription of the crimes and the application of the Italian law regulating indult, the compensation of damages is the only tangible effect of this trial, which will not compensate the suffering of the victims and the permanent consequences of the physical and psychological violence.
The determining fact has been the contribution of the lawyers of the plaintiffs who from the start where alone in gathering the complaints, demanding investigations and pushing the public powers to start this trial. Other than the many Italian lawyers, numerous lawyers from Europe have been directly present at the trial and have given useful contributions. Many of these lawyers are part of the European Democratic Lawyers’ Association (EDL).
Now that through public debate the events that took place in Bolzaneto have been ascertained, events that are unworthy of democratic state, we ask the government to apologize to the victims of Bolzaneto, takes measures against the condemned officers and proceed immediately to the payment of the due sums.
15/7/2008
EUROPEAN DEMOCRATIC LAWYERS www.aed-edl.net
LEGAL TEAM ITALIA www.legalteamitalia.it