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Italy: Convicted militant warned sister of suicide
[ADN Kronos] The sister of an Italian left-wing militant who hanged herself in prison at the weekend said she had warned that she would kill herself. Diana Blefari, from the radical New Red Brigades, was serving a life sentence for the murder of an Italian government advisor in 2002.Blefari, 43, was found hanged in her cell in Rebibbia prison in Rome on Saturday. Her suicide has provoked a fierce political debate about prison security and justice minister Angelino Alfano ordered an investigation into her death, which occurred soon after Italy's highest court upheld her sentence. Alessandra Blefari, said her sister Diana had repeatedly told her she would kill herself. "Every time I would go see her in jail, Diana told me she wanted to kill herself," said Alessandra Blefari.
As Alfano ordered an investigation into her death, prison unions raised concern about the state of Italian jails, which are said to be seriously understaffed. Blefari killed herself by hanging herself with her bedsheet soon after she found out about her confirmed sentence. "Diana Blefari's death was forewarned. A suicide that showed all the warning signs," said Diana's lawyer Caterina Calia, quoted by Italian daily Corriere della Sera. "We petitioned the courts many times about Diana's inability to be on trial...We said they had to be careful, because although she can have her moments of lucidity, she is sick," said Calia. Diana was serving a life sentence for the murder of government consultant Marco Biagi in the northern city of Bologna.
Four other militants apart from Diana were also sentenced to life terms in 2005 in relation to the murder of the economics professor. Biagi had been one of the authors of new legislation under the 2002 Berlusconi government aimed at making it easier for employers to hire and dismiss staff. Posted by: Fred 2009-11-03 |
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