ADVERTISEMENT

Jail beckons for Italy's 'Years of Lead' fugitive

It was the latest twist in a near 40-year legal and diplomatic saga worthy of the kind of autobiographical thriller the 62-year-old now specialises in as a writer.

Battisti was detained Wednesday near Brazil's border with Bolivia, apparently while trying to skip the country amid reports the Brazilian authorities were ready to end the protection he was accorded under former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said in a tweet that he was working with Rome's ambassador to Brazil to "bring Battisti back to Italy and hand him over to justice."

Battisti has been sentenced to life in prison in his homeland for his role in four murders attributed to Armed Proletarians for Communism, an extremist group active in the 1970s.

ADVERTISEMENT

He admits to having been part of an armed revolutionary group but denies responsibility for any deaths.

Having published several critically acclaimed novels, he described himself in a rare interview in 2011 as a reformed man.

Writer in Paris

"Aspiring to change society with arms is idiotic," he said. "But listen, at the time everyone was packing a gun. There were guerillas all over the world, Italy was in a pre-revolutionary situation.

"It has been 30 years since I considered myself a political militant, now I'm an activist for literature."

ADVERTISEMENT

Convicted in 1979 of being a member of an armed gang, Battisti escaped from a prison near Rome two years later and fled to Mexico via France.

He was subsequently convicted in absentia of having personally killed two members of Italy's police forces, taking part in the murder of a butcher, and having helped plan the slaying of a jeweller who died in a shoot-out which left his 14-year-old son in a wheelchair.

"I hope that after 40 years, justice will finally be done and that the doors of prison will open to let in an assassin," said Debora Serracchiani, president of the Friuli Venezia region, where the butcher, Antonio Santoro, was killed in 1978.

After a spell in Mexico, Battisti moved in 1990 to Paris, where he was able to pursue his writing career, safe from the risk of being extradited.

France at the time routinely rejected requests for the repatriation of leftists convicted of violent crimes during Italy's so-called Years of Lead.

ADVERTISEMENT

That was a period spanning the 1970s and early 1980s that was marked by political bombings, kidnappings and killings carried out by extreme left and right groups.

Last-ditch reprieve

France's policy reflected the concerns of then president Francois Mitterrand over Italy's anti-terrorism legislation and the use of witnesses guaranteed protection to obtain convictions.

Under pressure from Italy, France eventually abandoned the so-called Mitterrand doctrine, and was on the verge of handing Battisti back in 2004 when he skipped bail and fled to Brazil.

There he lived clandestinely until his 2007 arrest in Rio de Janeiro. He subsequently spent four years in custody while his fate was debated by politicians and the courts.

ADVERTISEMENT

An attempt by the left-wing government of the time to give him political refugee status was quashed but the final decision on whether or not Battisti was extradited was left with the president.

On January 31, 2010, hours before the end of his time in office, Lula ruled that Battisti should not be sent back to Italy.

In June 2011, the supreme court upheld the decision and Battisti was freed, sparking outrage in Italy.

The circumstances of Battisti's latest arrest suggest he was planning to flee to Bolivia.

According to reports, he was in a Bolivian taxi headed for the border and was stopped because he was carrying $5,000 and 2,000 euros in cash, leading to his arrest for attempting to take more than the authorised amount out of the country.

ADVERTISEMENT

"It is not clear why he was stopped, but I am doing everything I can to get him released," his lawyer, Igor Sant'Anna Tamasauskaswas, was quoted as saying by Italian media.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Obama, Clinton support Biden at NYC fundraiser amid protests

Obama, Clinton support Biden at NYC fundraiser amid protests

Tinubu’s refusal to celebrate 72nd birthday marks great leadership - Rahman

Tinubu’s refusal to celebrate 72nd birthday marks great leadership - Rahman

Adamawa Police reaffirms ban on motorcycles in Yola

Adamawa Police reaffirms ban on motorcycles in Yola

You make bold decisions & live with consequences - Ondo Gov hails Tinubu at 72

You make bold decisions & live with consequences - Ondo Gov hails Tinubu at 72

170 electrical vandalism cases in 2 years, 100 charged to court - EEDC

170 electrical vandalism cases in 2 years, 100 charged to court - EEDC

Tinubu appoints Bello as chairman of code of conduct bureau

Tinubu appoints Bello as chairman of code of conduct bureau

Don't curse, condemn Nigeria in your sermons - Tinubu tells clerics

Don't curse, condemn Nigeria in your sermons - Tinubu tells clerics

Lagos postpones eagerly anticipated Easter boat regatta indefinitely

Lagos postpones eagerly anticipated Easter boat regatta indefinitely

Third Mainland Bridge reopens in 1 week, formal ceremony later - Minister

Third Mainland Bridge reopens in 1 week, formal ceremony later - Minister

Pulse Sports

Nigeria vs Mali: Has Finidi George done enough to land Super Eagles job permanently?

Nigeria vs Mali: Has Finidi George done enough to land Super Eagles job permanently?

I want to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON - Finidi George shares ambitious Super Eagles dream

I want to emulate Keshi and win the AFCON - Finidi George shares ambitious Super Eagles dream

Michelle Alozie: I had to do it because of African referees

Michelle Alozie: I had to do it because of African referees

AC Milan star reveals he was named after Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida

AC Milan star reveals he was named after Super Eagles legend Tijani Babangida

Give him the job! Super Eagles fans beg NFF to make Finidi George permanent coach after Nigeria's win over Ghana

Give him the job! Super Eagles fans beg NFF to make Finidi George permanent coach after Nigeria's win over Ghana

Super Eagles 2-1 Black Stars: Nigerians praise Iwobi, Lookman, Finidi George after friendly victory against Ghana

Super Eagles 2-1 Black Stars: Nigerians praise Iwobi, Lookman, Finidi George after friendly victory against Ghana

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT