AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

PUBLIC STATEMENT

AI Index: EUR 30/010/2008

Date: 17 November 2008

Italy: Genoa court convicts 13 police and acquits 16 high-ranking officials over violence at 2001 G8

Amnesty International welcomes the fact that a judicial decision has been reached establishing human rights violations committed by law enforcement officials, including ill-treatment, occurred at the Armando Díaz School during the G8 summit during the night of 21 July 2001, in Genoa, Italy.

Amnesty International is concerned, however, that structural failures of the investigatory system need to be overcome to ensure that the whole truth emerges and that those responsible are held fully accountable for their actions.

On 13 November, 13 law enforcement officials were found guilty by the Genoa Court, amongst other charges, of ill-treatment against demonstrators staying at the Armando Díaz School, as well as of defamation and planting evidence. Those found guilty, together with the Ministry of Interior, are responsible for paying reparations to the victims. The sentence handed down by the court ranged from one month to four years’ imprisonment.

The ruling comes more than seven years after the events occurred. This makes unlikely that any of those sentenced will actually serve any time in prison, as the criminal liability for their offences will have expired under Italy’s statute of limitations by the time the appeal process is completed. Another 16 high-ranking officials were cleared of charges.

The verdict was preceded by the sentence on the Bolzaneto case of 14 July 2008, in which fifteen between police officers, prison guards and doctors, were found guilty of ill-treatment against detainees in the Bolzaneto detention facility in Genoa in July 2001 and condemned from five months to five years’ imprisonment.

Both courts verdicts confirm that serious human rights violations were carried out by the law enforcement officials against demonstrators in July 2001.

Amnesty International calls on the Italian government to take the necessary legal and institutional measures to establish effective independent mechanisms of accountability for serious human rights violations by law enforcement officials; and to implement the recommendations of the relevant international bodies and organizations to this effect in order to prevent such violations happening further.

Background
On 20-22 July 2001, the Italian city of Genoa hosted the so called ‘Group of eight -G8- summit’, an international forum for the governments of the eight most industrialized nations. It is estimated that over 200,000 people participated in anti-globalization demonstrations on the streets of Genoa. By the end of the summit, one protester, Carlo Giuliani, had been shot dead and hundreds of people had been injured during clashes with law enforcement officers.