Violence in prison: 108 defendants video connected with a bunker classroom

I am 108 defendants and a crowd of about two hundred lawyers, housed in two virtually connected classrooms: these are the numbers of the preliminary hearing of the trial for the violence that took place on April 6, 2020 in the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which will start tomorrow in front of the magistrate Pasquale D’Angelo, in which prison policemen and officials of the Dap (Department Penitentiary Administration). Numbers still approximate, at least as far as lawyers are concerned, given that the lawyers of prisoners who are victims of violence will also be present; tomorrow we will know more.

But in the meantime therebunker room of the court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which stands next to the prison where the facts took place, is preparing to host one of the most complex trials in recent years, both in terms of complaints – for the first time in Italy the crime of torture, introduced in 2017, is being challenged. to almost fifty public officials – when from an organizational point of view; in the past other important trials had taken place in the bunker room, such as that of the former undersecretary Nicola Cosentino, but these were proceedings with few parties involved. However, the president of the San Marino court Gabriella Casella assures that “everything is ready”.

“The building – explains Casella – was recently renovated, and we obtained from the Ministry the installation of the same videoconferencing circuit present at the central court”. In the courtroom, all 108 defendants could theoretically be present: of these only twenty are currently restricted to house arrest, but they could still be allowed to come to court free. At the expense of the winds still under arrest (including prison officers Pasquale Colucci, Anna Rita Costanzo, Gaetano Manganelli) the Gup D’Angelo will announce tomorrow morning during the hearing the decision on the request for an extension of the measure of house arrest made by the Prosecutor of Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Added Alessandro Milita and substitutes Daniela Pannone and Alessandra Pinto).

The facts happened on April 6 a year ago and the crimes alleged for various reasons are torture, injuries, abuse of authority, forgery of public deeds and cooperation in manslaughter of the Algerian inmate Lakimi Hamine. An investigation that makes use of the images of the internal video surveillance cameras that have filmed those moments defined as “a horrible slaughter” by the investigating judge of Santa Maria Capua Vetere Sergio Enea, who on June 28 last issued 52 precautionary measures, sending eight officers to prisone, 18 to house arrest, and by providing for three residence obligations and 23 measures of suspension from work for policemen and officials, including the then head of the Dap in Campania Antonio Fullone (still banned from service).

The cameras filmed the inmates as they were forced to pass through a corridor made up of prison officers with batons and helmets, undergoing kicks, punches and batons; one inmate in a wheelchair was also shot while others were literally dragged down the stairs and kicked. Among the nearly three hundred inmates who were victims of the beatings was also the Algerian Lakimi Hamine, who died on May 4, 2020 after being held in solitary confinement since the day of the violence; Twelve are being investigated for Hamine’s death, including Gaetano Manganelli, the then commander of the Penitentiary Police of the Santa Maria Capua Vetere prison, the former superintendent Antonio Fullone, two doctors and those agents who were in the isolation ward. After April 6 – the prosecutor ascertained – also began the misdirection activity by agents and officials with forged medical certificates to prove that the agents had suffered violence from the detainees.

To risk the trial, in addition to Fullone and Manganelli, there are Pasquale Colucci, commander of the ‘Intervention Support’ group, still under house arrest, Tiziana Perillo, commander of the Translations and Guarding Operations Unit of Avellino, Nunzia By Donato, commander of the operational unit ‘Translations and guarding’ of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, and Anna Rita Costanzo, chief commissioner in charge of the Nile department (under house arrest).

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Source From: Ansa

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