28 March 2012
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Italy
Rete del Sud Ribelle activists acquitted of "subversive
association" charges
On 24 April 2008, a court in Cosenza acquitted 13 activists of
charges of having established a subversive association for the
purpose of devastating Genoa during the 2001 G8 summit and to
subvert the economic order of the Italian state. The court accepted
the defendants' argument that there was no subversive association
whatsoever, contradicting the case presented by the prosecuting
magistrate Domenico Fiordalisi, who had requested a sentence
of a total of 50 years, with the state asking for €50 million
in compensation payments.
The prosecution in the trial, which
has lasted three years and was based on surveillance of telecommunications
and of the social scene that was targeted, failed to provide
"any evidence that the defendants had met to establish
a subversive association", as one of the defence lawyers
claimed. It all began with 18 arrests in November 2002 in Naples,
Cosenza, Vibo Valentia, Taranto, Reggio Calabria, Diamante and
Viterbo and, eventually, 42 people were placed under investigation,
12 were imprisoned, 6 placed under house arrest, and 13 were
finally tried.
Source: il manifesto, 25.4.2008
See Statewatch's Observatory on EU and public order
Previous Statewatch coverage of
the case:
20
activists arrested for "subversive association",
Statewatch news online, November 2002,
Interior
minister links terrorism and activists' "widespread political
illegality", Statewatch news online, February 2003,
Court
annuls release of activists charged with "subversive association",
Statewatch bulletin, vol. 13 no. 2, March-April 2003,
"Subversive
association" proceedings continue, Statewatch bulletin,
vol. 13 nos. 3/4.
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