The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that Italy is guilty of violating Article 3 of the Convention on Human Rights (prohibiting "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment") for the extreme police violence during the 2001 Genoa G8 summit.

The case, Bartesaghi Gallo and Others v. Italy, concerned the beating and arrest of 42 demonstrators inside a school that was serving as a headquarters for civil society activists and other peaceful demonstrators. The court's verdict held that the abuse against them amounted to torture.

The events of that July are still very much alive and represent a black mark against the police, the municipality of Genoa and the Italian government, which still has not acted firmly enough in prosecuting those responsible for the shameful crimes that unfolded during the summit.

What happened

The G8 summit was held in Genoa on July 19-21, 2001, bringing together representatives from the eight most industrialized countries. As a critical response to the summit, many Italian and foreign NGOs gathered together in what was called the "Genoa Social Forum" to protest as a group against the G8.

Security measures in the city were extremely high, as the local and national administrations worried that marches and protests could escalate into vandalism and street fighting, most likely by a known "black bloc" of protesters. This group did not represent an NGO or an association, but rather was a band of anarchists and other violent individuals.

By July 20, protests had grown stronger because of the involvement of this group, and the severe clashes with the police threw whole districts of the city into chaos.

The following day, a new police officer was put in charge of ensuring public order, and he decided to reorganize police patrols in order to give a stronger sense of authority and strictness.

Police passed by the Armando Diaz School, at the time the temporary headquarters of the Genoa Social Forum, where representatives of the NGOs and many others had been allowed to stay by the municipality.

The presence of the police elicited strong verbal reactions from those present near the school. As a consequence, police officers took the snap decision to cordon off the area in preparation for a search of the school, ostensibly for evidence of black bloc protesters.

Units of riot police were assigned to secure the area and prevent anyone from escaping. The total police force deployed to the school amounted to about 500 men.

The police moved into the school around midnight, threatening, punching and beating with truncheons those inside, regardless of the fact that most of them were still in sleeping bags or were holding their arms up and showing identity documents.

This outburst of violence caused many serious injuries. Some people were also taken into police custody and brought to the police station, where threats and humiliations by police officers continued.

The Strasbourg case

The ECtHR was familiar with the events before hearing the Bartesaghi case: in 2015, it found that police action against one particular protester at the Genoa G8 amounted to torture.

The Strasbourg court recognized the same inhuman treatment and lack of adequate response in the Bartesaghi Gallo and Others v. Italy. The ECtHR determined that, once again, Italy was guilty of violating the Convention on Human Rights and should pay between 45,000 and 55,000 euros in compensation to each victim.

Following this sentence, Antigone, long advocating for a law against torture to be added to the Italian penal code, urged the Parliament to create a dedicated commission to investigate the events during the Genoa G8 and finally assess responsibilities for the outrageous behavior by authorities.

But Italy still lacks a proper crime for their punishment: the bill that would enshrine the crime of torture into Italian law is awaiting approval by the Chamber of Deputies. As the president of the Antigone, Patrizio Gonnella, says:

"The Parliament can wait no more. It needs to approve a suitable and applicable law, respectful of international conventions. Identification codes for police agents need to be introduced right now. This is something that can be done even without a law."