Dear Friend,

As you will have learned through the press or from our website (www.veritagiustizia.it) , June 26 marks the beginning of the preliminary hearings for the 29 policemen and officers who are considered responsible for the abuse committed on July 21, 2001 in the Diaz school. These members of the police force have been charged with brutality, defamation and perjury. Other police officers are facing various charges relating to the simultaneous raid carried out at Pascoli School.

We think it is superfluous to point out the importance of this trial. It allows the victims of that night’s police brutality the opportunity to obtain a guilty verdict for at least some of the perpetrators and to be recompensed for both physical and moral damages..

However, the road ahead is a long one. This is only the preliminary hearing. At its conclusion, the Judge for Preliminary Investigations will decide whether or not to bring the defendants to trial. Only then will the real trial, which could bring a guilty verdict, begin.

At this stage, some of the defendants may ask for a “brief rite” trial, which is not in-depth, nor is it open to the public. Others still may make a deal, that is plead guilty in return for a shortened sentence. And for others, the case may never come to court, which means the charges would be dropped before going to trial.

This is why we can take nothing for granted and why, together with the Genoa Legal Forum lawyers and the Piazza Carlo Giuliani Committee, we are planning to attend the preliminary hearing, so that our presence will be felt.

The technical means that we are using is a civil suit in association with the public prosecutor. Through this means the victims can take an active role in asking for payment of damages and in participating in the preliminary hearing.

This option is not limited solely to those who were physically present in the Diaz School, but it is possible for the parents and the next of kin of the victims to become a party in the civil suit. This is because they, too, have been damaged by the crimes committed. We feel it is very important for those who were the victims of this brutality and who were damaged to associate with the public prosecutor in a civil suit.

If you want to proceed in this way, and you do not have a lawyer, please contact us. We will give you all the necessary information and, if you would like, we can give you the name of a Genoa Social Forum lawyer in your area.

Even if you already have your own lawyer, and you want to receive information regarding the Committee’s actions regarding the trial, you can write us at this address:

info@veritagiustizia.it

We will contact you via e-mail and/or phone with information regarding what the Committee is planning to do for the trial and with any other necessary information

Best wishes,

Enrica Bartesaghi

President,

Committee for Truth and Justice for Genoa

Presidente del comitato verità e giustizia per Genova