One none one hundred thousand Ilaria Salis. While Avs decides to nominate the teacher detained in Hungary on charges of attacking two extremists as a candidate in the next European elections, there are over two thousand two hundred Italians currently incarcerated in penal institutions around the world. Andrea Di Giuseppe, deputy of the Brothers of Italy, elected in the foreign constituency of North and Central America, has decided to help these “counts of Monte Cristo”. Children of a lesser god forgotten by the left. Human beings who often serve their imprisonment in unhealthy environments. In which even being able to wash becomes a luxury. Among these there is Maurizio Cocco, an engineer from Fiuggi, detained in Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast in medieval conditions, with violations of procedural rules and human rights, in a structure designed to just over 1000 people but which hosts over ten thousand.
«Engineer Cocco is dying – reported Andrea Di Giuseppe – He was first accused of being part of a drug trafficking organisation. After these charges were dropped, he was accused of tax fraud without any evidence being shown: he has been in preventive prison since June 2022, a period of detention even longer than that of a possible conviction for the crime in question.”
A daily life, that of our compatriot, that few human beings would be able to tolerate. Cocco lives in a dormitory of a few meters with dozens of people, without toilets, and without healthcare due to his very serious pathologies. “We must ensure that the two thousand Italians imprisoned throughout the world have a fair trial, are released in case of innocence or are brought back to Italy when international laws allow it,” adds the Fdi representative. But how can we limit situations that go far beyond the bloodiest of horror films? «In certain countries, even the mere physical presence of a member of the Italian Parliament or the embassy can be fundamental – concluded Di Giuseppe. Cocco told me that in his prison they even turned off the water, it is impossible to wash. We cannot accept this reality.”
Unfortunately, Maurizio Cocco’s situation is not as unusual as one might think. Our newspaper, a few weeks ago, also reported the case of Stefano Conti, detained in Panama on charges of exploitation of prostitution. A hateful crime, but one that our compatriot simply never committed. «During the hearing it emerged that the lawyer of the five alleged victims presented a complaint, which was immediately accepted by the judge – Di Giuseppe further told us – In essence, the prosecution forced the women to testify falsely. The case is therefore taking a completely different turn and we are optimistic. I was next to Stefano and when the prison officers took him from home, he entered the courtroom with handcuffs on his wrists. Yet he didn’t get all the media hype reserved for Salis.” Men and women who experience the drama of being accused of heinous crimes, often on the basis of fake testimonies, far from home, in desperate conditions. Realities that, thanks to the daily work of Andrea Di Giuseppe, are slowly emerging.
#case #Maurizio #Cocco #Tempo
2024-04-24 06:34:34
