Italy: Deaths and demonstrations spotlight detention centres(feature)
01 January 2000
The death of six detainees in Italy's immigrant detention centres has led to demonstrations in Milan, Florence and Trapani calling for the closure of the centres - first introduced in Italy in 1998. Mohamed Ben Said, a Tunisian, died in Rome's Ponte Galeria centre due to a lack of medical care and five more detainees died in a fire during a revolt in the Serraino Vulpitta in Trapani (Sicily).
Protests against the centres
Over 20,000 people demonstrated in Milan on 29 January, calling for "a full review of the migration policy adopted to date, the closure of all prison camps for immigrants currently opened in Italy, respect of the rights of free information for the public and of legal assistance for the imprisoned migrants and the issuing of reliable data about the migration phenomena... " They also asked for independent monitoring groups to be allowed to enter the centres by law, as the secrecy which surrounds detention centres is a major reason for abuse.
After minor clashes between the police and demonstrators in Milan a group of 50 people were allowed to enter the Corelli detention centre. In Trapani two and three thousand people demonstrated and police attacked demonstrators who were trying to break into the Serraino Vulpitta centre. In Genoa's Principe train station people who were making their way to Milan for the demonstration were caught on a video showing police charging into people who were simply negotiating to have a cheap "political" train fare.
Interior Minister Enzo Bianco and Interior Ministry undersecretary Alberto Maritati accepted criticism of the detention centres in terms of their conditions, but were adamant that the detention centre system was imperfect but necessary. They confirmed plans to extend the network of detention centres, "at the moment, the reception centres are concentrated in a few regions, and it will therefore be necessary to redistribute them around the country". Centres are due to open in Florence and Bologna. Tuscany's first detention centre is due to open in Sesto Fiorentino (Florence), although the local and regional councils are opposed to the project.
A second round of demonstrations on 26 February brought 4,000 people onto the streets in Rome, and protesters in Bologna twice entered an abandoned army barracks which is due to be transformed into a detention centre in August.
The Interior Ministry has replaced the chief constable in Florence, Antonio Ruggiero. He was seen as being "soft" on immigrants having allowed a group of Romanians and other immigrants under threat of expulsion to lead the rally in Florence without any threat of identification or arrest. The 17 Romanian families were involved in an "integration through work" project sponsored by local (Lucca) and regional (Tuscany) councils to regularise their status, as proposed in the Turco-Napolitano law - with former Interior Minister Rosa Russo Jervolino's approval. The government coalition changed in December, and the new Interior Minister, Bianco, stopped the project. The Romanians decided to occupy San Michele church in Lucca, and started a week's hunger strike, with support from the public and local clergy, resulting in their being granted residence permits.
The Turco-Napolitano law
There are 11 official detention centres set up following the 1998 Turco-Napolitano immigration law. They are the Brunelleschi in Turin, Arcangelo Corelli in Milan, Ponte Galeria in Rome, Badessa and Medelugno in Lecce, Serraino Vulpitta in Trapani, Francavilla Fontana (Brindisi), Catania (shut for restructuring work), Termini Imerese (Palermo), Ragusa and Lamezia Terme (Catanzaro). They are mainly found in the south, the area with the largest immigrant communities from Africa, southeastern Europe and Asia, or larger cities in the north (Milan, Turin) and centre (Rome).
Police are in charge of external security, whereas members of the military Red Cross are in charge of the inte