JURIST - Paper Chase: Italy officials convicted of abusing arrested protesters

[JURIST] An Italian court Monday found 15 police officers and medical staff members guilty of abusing anti-globalization protesters [JURIST report] who were taken into custody during the 2001 G8 summit in Genoa [official website; BBC backgrounder]. The protesters said they were subjected to threats and physical abuse, and were denied food and access to their consulates while being held in a Genoa detention center. The court found the officials guilty of crimes ranging from abuse to inhuman and degrading treatment, but cleared the charges of 30 others. A lawyer for the officials said they plan to appeal the ruling [Adnkronos report], and the protesters are also expected to file a civil suit [Telegraph report] against the government for the mistreatment. The court is still considering a separate case in which police are accused of abuses stemming from the raid on a school where other protesters were staying during the summit. AP has more. Corriere della Sera has local coverage, in Italian.

Immediately after the protests and reports of abuse, Amnesty International (AI) called for a full investigation [press release] into the mistreatment. In July 2006 the group urged the Italian government to institute reforms to prevent future abuses [press release], but said that the government had not done so in the five years since the incident.

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