AIMINESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 1986 This report covers the period January to December 1985 Italy ‘Amnesty International's principal voncerns were the excessive length of preventive detention and judicial procedures in political cases. The organization expressed concern about a case of alleged torture re- sulting in death and about cases of reported medical neglect of prison- on prosecutions of ufficers accused vf illtreating prisoners trom previous years. Amnesty International continued to work for the release of imprisoned conscientious objectors to military service, Law 398. promulgated in July 1984, reduced the length ofAIMINESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 1986 This report covers the period January to December 1985 290 Amnesty international Report 1986 preventive detention — defined as the period between arrest and the passing of a definitive verdict by the highest court — from 10 years tight months to six years. n November 1985 this law resulted in the release of about 160 prisoners charged with serious crimes, because the permitted limit had been reached. The released prisoners, who ‘included defendants in political cases, were subject to police supervision after release, In the Rome section of the “7 April" trial (see Amnesty international Report 1980 to 1985), The Motivation for Judgment and Sentence was published in May. Amnesty International was concerned that some of the principal defendants had been kept in preventive detention for over five years and that special legislation was applied retroactively to extend the permitted limits of preventive detention ‘see Amnesty International Report 1980), There was also a delay of 15 ‘months without any judicial justification between the committal for trial order and the first trial hearing. In addition, Amnesty International was concerned that there was no opportunity for the ourt to examine Carlo Fioroni, the main source of information for the charges against the defendants, He had lett the country by the time he was called for examination at the hearing. His testimony, which had been taken in secret during the investigation phase, was nevertheless admitted by the court (On 3 December 1984 the Paduan section of the “7 April” trial pened after several postponements and aiter a change of President ind jury at the prosecution’s request. It continued throughout 1985, The 143 defendants in the Paduan trial included six whose cases were under investigation by Amnesty International (see Ammesty Interna: tional Report 1980 to 1985). Four of these lett the country after being «equitted by the investigating judge. They were nonetheless included ‘a the list of defendants after the prosecution had appealed successfully against the investigating judge's decision, The prosecu- ‘ion also appealed successfully against the acquittal by the investigat- ing judge in Padua of Professors Luciano Ferrari-Bravo and Emilio Vesce, who had carlier been convicted of formation of an armed and in the Rome trial. They were defendants in the Padua trial as well because they had heen charged separately by the Paduan prosecuting magistrates with possession of arms. Amnesty Interna ‘ional’s grounds for concern in the Padua trial were similar to those in ‘he Rome trial, in particular the excessive length of pretrial detention, und the inability of the court to examine Carlo Fioroni, Amnesty International was also concerned that the sirms charges against 9 and Vese appeared to be based cay lormed the basis of their conviction in the Rone trialAWVINESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT 1986 This report covers the period January to December 1985 Amnesty Intemational Report 1986 291 Om 29 August Amnesty Internatiénal asked the Minister of Justice bout an inquiry into the death in police custody of Salvatore Marino J Palermo, He was young tisherman who had gone voluntarily to the police station to answer questions about the murder on 29 July of « police officer. Amnesty International received reports that he had. been beaten and forced to swallow large quantities of salt water ‘hrough a plastic tube. The post-mortem stated that he had died from respiratory constriction which had led to heart arrest” and referred 'o “injuries to the trachea”. Fleven officers of the Flying Squad were wrested after his death and charged with “unintentional homicid \ further seven were arrested later. Subsequently [4 of the 18 were granted provisional liberty or put under house arrest ‘On 10 July Amnesty International asked the Minister of Justice for information on the progress of judicial inquiries which had been sstablished in 1982 in Rome, Verona and Viterbo into allegations of ‘orture and ill-treatment of political detainees between their arrest und transfer to prison, ‘The incidents were reported to have taken place in police stations, barracks and other places (see Amnesty International Report 1983). Amnesty International had received no reply to previous inquiries about these cases nor did any arrive by the ind ot 1985, The judicial inquiry into violence against prisoners in San Vittore prison in Milan in September 1981 ended in November 1985, Amnesty International had written to the Minister of Justice in December 1981 (see Amnesty International Report 1982) after receiving allegations of ill-treatment of prisoners. The inquiry found that during a prison transfer serious offences had been committed azainst 133 prisoners, most of whom had been charged. with politically motivated crimes. It recommended that the former prison zovernor, two doctors and 19 officials be committed for thal on ‘charges ineluding premeditated infliction of injury, use of inappropri- te weapons, failure to administer aid and failure to report the incidents On 28 November Amnesty International wrote to the Minister of Justice about the health of Professor Paolo Signorelli, who had been held for tive years in preventive detention at the prison of Regina Coeli in Rome and was alleged to belong to the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari (NAR), the Armed Revolutionary Nuclei. He was reported to be sutfering trom cardiac and circulatory problems as well 1s a serious arthritic condition and to have fallen into a coma lasting 4% hours following a collapse. Amnesty International had received reports that Protessor Signorelli had been denied necessary medi reatment and might therefore suffer an irreversible decline in health, No reply had been received by the end of 1985, Amnesty international worked for the release of seven conscien- ous vdjectors 0 military service, They included objectors who hd snsuocesstully applied 10 do alternative civilian service ot who had rotused alternative serviee in protest at its prmitive length. tn Italy ternative civilian seevice is 20 months, compared tI months’ olitary service.