Almost a year has passed since the day the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Italian police tortured a man following the Diaz school raid during the 2001 G8 in Genoa. The Italian government was ordered to pay 45,000 euros in compensation to the victim (Cestaro case).

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi then notoriously tweeted that the government would have its say on the matter by bringing forward the parliamentary discussion on the criminalization of torture.

Italy to pay 1.5 million to victims

And yet, as of today, that law is still stuck in the Senate, with no progress whatsoever being made on its implementation. In the meantime, however, two other torture cases have arrived before the Strasbourg judges: the first concerns the torture of two detainees in Asti's prison at the hands of the penitentiary police; the second (a joining of three different appeals) regards the torture of as many as 100 people in the Bolzaneto barracks during the Genoa G8.

In both proceedings, the Italian government decided not to wait for a definitive judgment and immediately proposed an amicable composition, offering 45,000 euros in compensation to each of the victims.

In other words, the Italian government is about to pay as much as 1.5 million euros to victims of torture - but this won't be enough to avoid more condemnations, and it won't wash away the shame of allowing torture to happen in the first place.

Sign and help end torture!

If you also believe that human dignity has no price and that no sum whatsoever can compensate the perpetration of torture, join Antigone in asking the Italian government to finally introduce the crime of torture in the Italian Criminal Code (sign up the petition here)!