Brigatisti’ families fight French State over non-extradited former police officer
A family in Lercara Friddi, a small town in the Palermo province of Italy, has declared “war” on the French state and the Mitterrand doctrine. The family consists of the siblings of Michele Granato, a police officer who was killed by the Red Brigades on November 9, 1979 in Rome. Despite the passage of 44 years, the relatives of one of the many victims of the “Years of Lead” have no intention of closing this tragic chapter of their family history. They recently filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). This sensational initiative came after the French Court of Cassation’s final denial of Italy’s extradition request towards 10 Italian terrorists who had sought refuge in France under Mitterrand’s doctrine. The doctrine, named after former French President François Mitterrand, was introduced in the mid-1980s and prevented the extradition of individuals accused or convicted of politically inspired violent acts against any state except France, as long as they renounced political violence. The appeal filed by Granato’s family, represented by lawyer Walter Biscotti among others, focuses on the position of former Red Brigades member Roberta Cappelli. Cappelli, who is now 67 years old, has been working as a special needs teacher in France for years. In Italy, she was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Granato, Carabinieri General Enrico Galvaligi, and Vice Questore Sebastiano Vinci. Granato, who was part of the front-line police team during the turbulent years of internal terrorism in Italy, was frequently undercover and tasked with approaching sympathizers or militants. His assassination was part of the Red Brigades’ “death campaign” targeting members of the security forces who provided information on possible supporters of terrorist organizations. Lawyer Biscotti, who prepared the appeal with colleagues Andrea Mensi and Paolo Busco, acknowledges that the journey ahead will be long, but believes that taking the first step was important.
Ex brigatisti non estradati, i familiari del poliziotto di Lercara contro lo Stato francese
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