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Letter from a man whose daughter was tortured by Italian police

H. transl. | 27.07.2001 18:35

Letter, translated from the communist newspaper Liberazione (published yesterday), in which a "politically moderate" father describes coming to the rescue of his daughter in Genua and finding out she has been tortured by police.

Dear Mr. Curzi,
I am a political moderate, I have always voted Christian Democrats and Partito Popolare. At the last elections I voted Rutelli. I say this as a premiss to explain my attitude. I went to Genoa on saturday (I was on holidays in Camogli) because I had learnt that my daughter Laura, a student of 23, had come from Rome to participate in the G8 demonstrations. I wanted to see her because I was worried. I saw the huge demonstration and the useless, brutal charges by the police in Viale Torino. While searching my daughter, who called me repetedly to assure me she was fine and there were no incidents where she was, I saw scenes of terrible violence. Five or six carabinieri were beating up a very young girl, who had probably remained isolated and blinded by the tear gas, like me, as she crouched against a wall, and they insulted and beat her until she lost consciousness. I admit that I was in great fear and I took refuge in the hallway of a lady who opened the door to save me after she, too, had witnessed that scene from her window. Hours of anguish passed. My daughter's cell phone gave the occupied signal all the time. I roamed through the city, or at least in those parts where normal people were allowed to come, like a madman.
I went to two hospitals, tried in vain to reach police headquarters, and then, in one of the few bars that were more or less open, at nightfall, I met friendly people who tried to cheer me up a bit; but then, on local television, I heard about the police raid at the [Genoa Social Forum] center. It was there that my daughter said, the last time I spoke with her, that we could meet after the demonstration. She had an appointment there with a journalist friend from Rome, they were to travel back together by car. Mr. Curzi, you can imagine my agony when I saw, on tv, my daughter with her face covered in blood, being carried away on a stretcher. A boy I didn't know, from Genoa, offered his assistance and together we went to two hospitals and other first aid facilities, but everywhere we were told my daughter wasn't there. "Keep them at home, those little whores..." a policemen, who seemd drugged, shouted at me. On sunday morning Laura was finally able to call me. She had been kept inside a police barracks all that time, even though she was wounded. I could finally hold her in my arms at Brognole station. She was in a very bad shape, her dress was torn and she had various injuries all over her body. She was terrorised, and had been unable to call me, as she immediately explained, because her cell phone had been crushed. As she told me of the [police] aggression inside the school she started to cry, she, who is always so strong. We went back to Rome (I cancelled my holidays of course) and I want to support her. I can tell you, Mr. editor, that during all of the journey Laura hasn't said a word. Only today, at home and among her friends (my wife, her mother, unfortunately died two years ago), she is slowly recovering. What she tells us of the violence they were submitted to is horrible. Our doctor, who has seen her, confirms that she has been tortured.
I won't say more than this, Mr. editor. I confess that I am afraid to do what some of my friends and a lawyer have advised me to do: officially report this violence to the authorities. I am a civil servant (I include my name and address, but I want to ask you to not to publish them for now) and, as you will understand, I am afraid of vengeance. I will wait and see what others do and above all what happens in parliament. Tomorrow I will try to deliver this letter to the On. Rutelli.

Signed letter

Source (Italian):  http://www.liberazione.it/giornale/26-07gio/INSERTO/INS-1+/OSPITE.htm

H. transl.

Comments

Display the following 3 comments

  1. OH MY GOD — oh my god
  2. heartfelt sorrow — gia woolf
  3. Cannot believe it? well it's what HAPPEN ! — Nomade