Extradition denied
June 9, 2011
Italy said Thursday it will ask the International Court of Justice at The Hague to consider a ruling by Brazil's Supreme Court rejecting the extradition of an Italian former leftist terrorist, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
On Wednesday, Brazil's Supreme Court rejected Italy's request to extradite Cesare Battisti, a man convicted of four murders from the 1970s, exacerbating an ongoing diplomatic row between the two nations over Battisti's fate.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi denounced the ruling Thursday, expressing "great regret" over Battisti's release. Earlier, Italy's Youth Minister Giorgia Meloni was quoted by Italy's ANSA news agency condemning Brazil's decision as "the umpteenth humiliation" for the families of his victims.
Sentenced to life in prison
Battisti was convicted in absentia of the four murders by an Italian court in 1993. He was sentenced to life in prison, but had long since fled the country after escaping from prison in 1981. In the 1970s, Battisti belonged to a guerrilla group called "Armed Proletarians for Communism," and the killings came during a particular violent period in Italy.
Last year, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had already denied Italy's request for extradition, saying Battisti could face political persecution in Italy. Wednesday's 6-3 ruling by the Supreme Court upheld da Silva's decision and also allowed for Battisti's immediate release from prison in Brasilia, where he has been held since 2007.
Battisti has said he is innocent and that he is the victim of political persecution.
Author: Sarah Harman, Matt Zuvela (AP, Reuters, AFP)
Editor: Martin Kuebler