Feb 27 2008
Italian lawmakers urge better protection for Mafia witnesses
ROME – Fewer people are willing to give evidence implicating the Mafia, Italian lawmakers said Wednesday, calling for more help to protect those who speak out against alleged mobsters.
Witnesses placed under state protection said they felt abandoned and disoriented when dealing with new identities for themselves and their families, new surroundings and new jobs, a parliamentary report said.
They cited bureaucracy, lack of information and difficulty in finding suitable jobs when they are forced to relocate. In some cases, police escorts were not provided, the report said.
“Witnesses have not been considered a resource but more like a burden at times,” lawmaker Angela Napoli said.
In December, 67 people were ready to give evidence against the Naples-based Camorra mob, the Sicilian Mafia and the Calabria syndicate ‘ndrangheta. Most were from southern Italian regions, Napoli said.
In 2006, there were 71. In comparison, in just the first six months of 2002, 79 people were willing to speak out against the Mafia, she said.
Napoli blamed the “lack of consideration” by authorities handling witness protection programs for a drop in witnesses in recent years.
“These people are an important tool for a real fight against the mob,” she said at a news conference.
The report included the example of a man who received new identification papers stating he came from a country whose language he did not speak. In another case, two sisters were given different family names.
Lawmakers recommended using a specially trained tutor for psychological assistance and reserving a quota of jobs in public offices for those under protection. In the case of entrepreneurs and businessmen, the report proposed tax reductions to help them restart their activity in a new place.
Calls to rebel against the mob recently have yielded results in Sicily, where businesses are joining forces in refusing to submit to demands for protection money, called “pizzo” in Italian.
The number of those resisting extortion and signing on to a Web site called “addiopizzo” (Goodbye pizzo) is still tiny compared with Palermo’s businesses overall.
However, the movement has helped to chip away at the Mafia’s psychological hold on Sicilians long conditioned to believe that defiance would bring ruin or a death sentence.
Italian lawmakers urge better protection for Mafia witnesses – By Marta Falconi – ASSOCIATED PRESS – 8:29 a.m. February 27, 2008 – http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080227-0829-italy-mafiawitnesses.html
