Milan, 15 January (LaPresse) – The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has condemned Italy in relation to the death of Riccardo Magherini, which occurred on 3 March 2014 in Florence during an arrest by the Carabinieri. The Strasbourg Court unanimously ruled that ‘there had been two violations of Article 2 (right to life/investigation) of the European Convention on Human Rights.’ Magherini "died after the Carabinieri had immobilised and handcuffed him, holding him in a prone position for about 20 minutes. The Court considered that the fact that the Carabinieri kept R.M. on the ground in a prone position for about 20 minutes after his initial immobilisation, and even after he had apparently become unconscious, was not absolutely necessary,‘ the ECHR points out, adding that it had ’found shortcomings in the investigation that followed (with regard to its independence), in the training of law enforcement officers on immobilisation techniques and in the guidelines in force in Italy at the time for placing persons in a prone position with the minimum risk to health and life'. However, the Court points out that it has not ruled on the criminal liability of the persons involved in the incident and that it “does not question the decisions of the Italian courts, which ultimately acquitted the four Carabinieri involved in the incident”.
© Copyright LaPresse
