A regulation that violates fundamental human rights by using repressive instruments. Together with the network In Difesa Di, Un Ponte Per stands alongside those who defend human and environmental rights around the world, expressing their opposition to DDL 1660
A healthy society must also be able to express itself through forms of dissent and peaceful protest, particularly of those who, like environmentalists and conservationists, fight for climate and therefore social justice in the world
Bill 1660, approved on 18 September in the Chamber of Deputies, is in the groove of repressive pan-penalism that has characterised the institutions' response to protest, dissent and unease for many years.
This tendency has characterised successive governments and parliamentary majorities at least since 2001, with the recurrent adoption of 'security packages' that introduced new crimes and aggravating circumstances - or new parapenal sanctioning systems, such as the DASPO - and increased penalties for those already provided for (in March 2001 Giuliano Amato was Prime Minister and Enzo Bianco was Interior Minister, but other 'packages' are remembered for the names of the ministers of the time, from Maroni to Veltroni, from Minniti to Salvini).
DDL 1660 is characterised, however, by a considerable 'quantum leap' in the repressive clampdown and in the construction of what we could call a true 'criminal law (and not only) of the enemy', and also in redesigning certain institutions by profoundly changing their nature.
Thus, there are regulations that raise the penalties for the crime of occupation by also introducing new offences (failure to leave the rented property after an eviction procedure will also be a criminal offence), that allow for the imprisonment of pregnant women and women with newborn babies (in provisions that have been significantly christened the 'anti-Roma women rule'), che introducono il reato di “detenzione di materiale con finalità di terrorismo” (per cui sarà reato il semplice possesso di materiale, al di là del concreto pericolo che il soggetto intenda porre in essere attività terrorista, così anticipando la soglia di punibilità sino al limite della sfera esclusivamente privata della persona), che introducono nuove ipotesi di Daspo disposto dal questore o di cd. "These regulations introduce new cases of Daspo ordered by the police commissioner or the so-called 'Daspo giudiziario' (imposing a ban on access to certain places for those convicted of certain offences and making the granting of a suspended sentence conditional on compliance with this ban), which establish the obligation for foreign citizens to show their residence permit in order to be able to activate a mobile phone (a rule aimed at preventing irregular migrants from being able to have a mobile phone, thus making them 'scorched earth'), which increase the possibility of revoking the Italian citizenship acquired by foreign citizens, which increase the penalties for the crime of begging.
In addition to these regulations, there are also some that intend to severely repress protests and reduce the spaces for the possible expression of dissent, hitting even (and in some cases specifically) the environmentalist movements, and others that tend to demolish years of democratic conquests (in total institutions and in the relations between authorities and citizens), in fact attempting to 'turn back the hands of history' eighty years.
In this last regard, one cannot fail to refer to the 'new' crime of prison and CPR riots (but also in hot spots and reception centres for migrants, thus not only in places of detention and deprivation of liberty), which is intended to punish (with penalties ranging from a minimum of one to a maximum of twenty years, depending on the hypothesis) not only (undefined) violent riots, but also acts of resistance, even passive resistance to the execution of orders given, which prevent the performance of acts of office or service: a 'new' model of detainee (but not only, also of migrant received in a centre) is designed that is completely depersonalised, deprived even of the right to use non-violent and peaceful methods of protest and from whom 'blind and absolute' obedience to orders is expected.
The detained person and the migrant person (detained or received) are to be docile objects of control, on pain of perpetuating their condition of persons deprived of their personal freedom (the crime of prison riot would also be included among the so-called offences obstructing alternative measures to prison). This 'first time' in the repression of passive resistance risks becoming a precedent that will allow, in the future, the punishment of any form of disobedience to any order and in any sphere (just as the Daspo, born in stadiums to repress ultras, was then extended to urban areas and is now an instrument of administrative repression - the violation of which, moreover, makes the person concerned fall into the penal system - good for all forms of unease and/or dissent).
Another blatant example of this involution is the (unconcealed) desire to redesign the relationship between the 'public security' forces and the people subject to them, moving away from what the Constitutional Court defined as a 'different discipline of the relations between citizen and authority in liberal-democratic systems and in totalitarian regimes respectively' that had characterised the post-Fascist republican normative production (the Court had used that definition with regard to the discriminating factor of reaction to arbitrary acts of the public official, whereby the citizen who reacts, even with violence, to an illegitimate and arbitrary act of the public official is not punishable).
In the sense of consolidating an even formal supremacy of the public security apparatus over the people go: the introduction of an aggravating circumstance for offences of violence and resistance to a public official when the acts are committed against a public safety agent or officer (thus resistance to a police officer could be punished much more severely than to a municipal employee, a hospital doctor, even a judge) the provision of an increase in the penalty for the offence of injury if caused to a public security officer (thus, also in this case, the 'supremacy' of the victim-agent over any other victim is enshrined); the provision that public security officers may carry weapons without a licence even when off duty; the coverage of the expenses for a trusted lawyer (up to 10.000 for each level of judgement) for public security officers (as well as fire fighters and military personnel) investigated or charged for acts inherent to their service (subject, indeed, to possible recourse if ultimately convicted of intentional wrongdoing; there would be no recourse, for example, in the case of manslaughter of an arrested person). The public security forces, therefore, are placed normatively (one might say ideologically) in a position of supremacy over the entire population and of pre-eminence even within the State apparatus.
The Bill contains, then, a long series of provisions specifically intended to repress dissent, often blatantly designed on a 'specific' subject evidently considered to be particularly to be repressed: a veritable construction of a special author's sanction law (in which the seriousness of the crime, and sometimes the very existence of a crime, depends not so much on the 'fact' that has been committed as on the 'type of author' who committed it).
Already with the so-called 'ecovandals' decree, moreover, this legislature had accustomed us to the construction of offences on environmental activists and on their modes of protest (think of the aggravating circumstance provided for the crime of defacement if committed on 'showcases, cases and other structures used for the display, protection and preservation of cultural goods exhibited in museums, picture galleries, galleries and other exhibition places of the State, regions, other territorial public bodies, as well as any other public body and institution'; it is clear that certain protests and activists were specifically targeted).
Among the provisions specifically aimed at the repression of dissent (and of environmental activists in primis) stands out the aggravating circumstance (and therefore the provision that the penalty is increased, with a maximum that can reach 20 years) for the crimes of resistance and violence to a public official (but also other crimes, such as threats) in the case in which the act 'is committed in order to prevent the realisation of a public work or a strategic infrastructure'. Here the will to hit harder at movements fighting against large-scale works (such as the No Tav movement, the No Tap movement, the No Ponte movement, to name but a few) is very clear.
Again, an aggravated penalty is introduced for damage committed during demonstrations (a hypothesis that had already been introduced in 2019) if committed with violence or a threat (here too, it is clear that this rule is aimed at repressing dissent and conflict, it being sufficient that the damage is accompanied by simple threatening conduct).
In the same way, an aggravating circumstance (with a consequent aggravation of punishment) is provided for the offence of defacement if committed on property used for the exercise of public functions with the purpose of damaging the honour, prestige or decorum of the institution (certain symbolic protests come to mind, such as the placing of piles of manure at institutional premises).
The provisions of DDL 1660 currently under discussion, therefore, seem to want to design a new set-up in the relations between the executive power (whose ultimate expression is precisely the public security forces) and the population, and to strike at any form of dissent, reducing the citizen (we want to use this term in a technical sense, not as an Italian citizen but as a person who is subject to that sovereign power) to a docile object of control, in a society that would like to be plebiscitary. Whoever rebels (today especially in prisons or in CPRs, but with a model that can be extended to anyone), whoever even merely protests (perhaps claiming the right to a healthy environment and ultimately to a future) is a subject alien to the model of society that must be punished.
It is a model of society that is extremely dangerous and alien to constitutional principles; this is why the In Difesa Di network, which since 2016 has been gathering and organising organisations and associations committed in Italy and around the world to defending human and environmental rights, believes that if the bill is definitively approved, many of its provisions will then probably be declared unconstitutional; but in the meantime it will have made the political and cultural evils that nourish them germinate in society (in addition to having affected the people who will have been its victims in the meantime).
Joint communiqué of the In Defence Of network
with Ultima Generazione, Extinction Rebellion, Legal
Team Italy, Repression Observatory, Democratic Jurists
Press release
Cinema. Un Ponte Per released 'The Lion of the Desert'
More than 40 years after its release, Un Ponte Per brings "IL LEONE DEL DESERTO" (1981, directed by Mustafa Akkad, starring Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas and Oliver Reed, 173', sub Italian language version) to Italiancinemas for the first time to recall the responsibilities of Italian colonialism in Libya.
Rome, 4 September 2024 - "The Lion of the Desert", a film about the resistance against the Italian occupation of Libya, will be shown for the first time on Italian cinema screens thanks to the initiative of the NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP).
44 years after its release, Un Ponte Per has obtained ministerial clearance for the public screening of this important historical film, based on the life of the Senussite leader Omar al-Mukhtar, who led the struggle against the Italian colonial occupation. The film was never shown in Italian cinemas because it was considered by the government to be 'detrimental to the honour of the army', which blocked its distribution at the time. The then Prime Minister, Giulio Andreotti, went so far as to accuse the film of 'vilifying the Armed Forces' and in 1987 the Digos prevented its screening in Trento during a pacifist meeting by seizing the film.
Despite its obvious interest for the Italian public, 'The Lion of the Desert' was never distributed in our country, nor was it ever broadcast by the public service. Only one TV broadcast on Sky in 2009 is remembered. A censorship, wrote the greatest historian of Italian colonialism, Angelo del Boca, that 'is part of a broader and more devious campaign of mystification and disinformation, which tends to preserve a romantic, mythical, radiant vision of our recent colonial history. That is to say, false'.
Until now, in the absence of a distributor and a visa for the screening, no cinema or TV could programme its viewing, something that will now be possible thanks to the UPP's initiative of requesting and obtaining a visa.
The 'Lion of the Desert' by Syrian-American director Mustapha Akkad, who died in 2005 in an al-Qaeda attack in Amman, was produced in the USA with leading actors such as Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger and Irene Papas, and reconstructs the resistance of Libyan tribes against the Italian colonial occupation, documenting their repression.
On 16 September 2024, on the occasion of Libyan Day in memory of the victims of colonisation, Un Ponte Per organises screenings of the film in 10 cities: Rome, Turin, Naples, Milan, Arezzo, Monza, Bologna, Modena, Florence and Catania.
With this initiative UPP intends to contribute to lift the veil dropped on Italian colonial history, and to support the proposal for the establishment of a national Day of Remembrance for the victims of colonialism.
Each screening will be preceded by a short historical introduction. The entire programme of events is realised with the support of Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d'Italia - ANPI Nazionale, Rete Yekatit 12-19 febbraio and WILPF Italia.
Programme and details of the events on 16/09 (except Naples, scheduled for 20/09) in each city:
Press Release
Syria. Un Ponte Per provides assistance to the population thanks to the support of the European Union
Thanks to the support of the European Union, Un Ponte Per provided free essential health care to more than 95,000 vulnerable people living in IDP camps
Syria, 16 July 2024 - The project 'Life-saving healthcare for the war-affected population in north-eastern Syria' implemented by the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP) and its local partner, the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC), has just ended. The project provided basic and emergency health care to populations that suffered the devastating effects of the war, such as displaced persons and refugees living in major camps in north-eastern Syria.
The project, launched in April 2023, was made possible thanks to the support of the European Union, which has been supporting Un Ponte Per in Syria since 2017, ensuring the continuity of essential and life-saving health services and specialised care for women, infants and children.
The intervention has reached over 95,000 people by providing comprehensive support to Primary Health Centres and ambulances covering the entire territory of north-east Syria. Of these, 80% are women and children. In the dramatic Syrian context, where the conflict has been affecting the population for 13 years, the health system has been severely compromised due to the destruction of health facilities and the shortage of specialised personnel, medical devices and medicines. All this has been severely aggravated by a dramatic economic crisis that has led to 97% of the Syrian population living below the poverty line.
The project provided continuous support to 5 Primary Health Centres in the Al Hol, Areesha, Abu Khashab, Serekanye and Mahmoudli camps; 11 ambulances, and an Emergency Management and Coordination Centre to manage ambulance transfers in case of emergencies or epidemics (such as cholera). Thanks to strong coordination with local actors, during the project UPP transferred the Mahmoudli Health Centre to the management of the local authorities, who will continue to keep it functional.
All services are free and universally accessible, thanks to the continuous work of UPP staff and partners to ensure fair and non-discriminatory access to health care. In one year, the facilities supported by UPP and its partner provided more than 145,000 medical examinations, assisted in the safe birth of a total of 639 babies with their specialised staff (in a context where home births are still common, contributing to increased maternal/infant mortality), and provided emergency ambulance transport services for more than 8,000 patients with life-threatening conditions.
In addition, more than 73,000 people received essential information to improve their health status and prevent highly lethal communicable diseases, especially among children, as well as crucial information and referral pathways on available protection services for the most vulnerable, thanks to the constant presence of community health workers and protection prevention officers working within the facilities and communities.
Press release
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT - A BRIDGE TO: 'HUMAN BEINGS ALL EQUAL, JUST ARREST WARRANTS FOR PERPETRATORS OF CRIMES'
Rome, 21 May 2024 - "Human beings are all equal whether they are Israelis or Palestinians. If horrendous war crimes have been committed against them before, during and after 7 October, the International Criminal Court has the obligation to intervene and seek warrants for the arrest of those responsible without looking anyone in the face". This was stated in a statement by Angelica Romano and Alfio Nicotra, co-presidents of the NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP).
"The only equalization that needs to be made is on the civilian victims regardless of their gender, nationality or religious faith,' Nicotra and Romano continue. 'We find instrumental the declarations of some countries, which among other things do not adhere to the ICC, that compare Israel to Hamas, considering the former to be more legitimate than the latter to violate the most basic human rights. No one can be above the law and international law, least of all a country that proclaims itself democratic'.
"We read things that are unspeakable on a historical level," Romano and Nicotra write, "like those who consider the proposal of the Hague Prosecutor an attempt to put Truman and Hitler on the same level. They pretend not to know that the Rome Statute was created to protect all peoples, precisely so that the horrors of the Second World War could never be repeated in the name of the superiority of one people over another'.
"We would never have allowed the government in London to reduce the Catholic quarters of Belfast to ashes because the alleged 'terrorists of Ira' were acting there," the UPP co-presidents point out. "In the same way, we cannot allow, under the pretext of the fight against terrorism, the destruction of Gaza, the murder of more than 35,000 civilians, the use of hunger and thirst as an instrument of war and collective vengeance.
"It is necessary for Europe to break with colonialist ideology and all white supremacism that leads to consider Palestinian victims not as human beings deserving of equal dignity, but as necessary or collateral victims. For this reason," Nicotra and Romano conclude, "we defend the work of the Hague Criminal Prosecutor, and we demand that the Italian and European governments give their full support to protect the independence of the ICC and commit themselves to respecting its pronouncements.
The Darna Al Aman project with theOtto per mille of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai and the NGO Doz brought services and awareness
ROME - The number of beneficiaries of Darna Al-Aman, "our protected home", a project that Un Ponte Per has just completed for women and girls at risk or survivors of gender-based violence in Raqqa, has not only been reached but exceeded. This city in north-east Syria is suffering the consequences of the war that has gripped the country since 2011, including having been the capital of the Islamic State group between 2014 and 2017. Thus, in order to offer protection and prevention services, since 2021 Un Ponte Per has created "safe spaces" for women and girls, as well as adolescents, girls and children, thanks to funds from the Otto per mille of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai, and in collaboration with the local NGO Doz. While initially 1,035 beneficiaries had been identified, the project reached a total of 1,115, or 108% of the target, including 989 women and 149 girls aged 12 to 17.
Ambra Malandrin, Un Ponte Per project contact person in Syria explains: "We know thatonly 7% of women victims of violence manage to get the support they need. The Safe Spaces were designed both to respond to a lack of vital services for women survivors of gender-based violence or abuse, and to create awareness about the phenomenon, in a context where violence is still present and deeply rooted, at home and outside". The safe spaces also provided services for children and caregivers, including specialised support for children experiencing violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation. There are two facilities: a space for children under the age of 6 in the Raqqa neighbourhood called 'Intifada', and one for children and adolescents in the Community Centre. Here, too, the intervention involved more beneficiaries than expected: from the 1,208 children, girls and caregivers planned, 1,749 individuals (145% of the target) were actually reached, including 877 children and adolescents, 818 girls and 54 caregivers, 49 women and 5 men. As for specific services, 238 individuals benefited from the direct management of cases of violence or abuse, including 117 women, 65 girls and 56 children.
Raqqa is largely still a city wounded by the fighting, with gutted buildings and streets destroyed by shelling, and this exacerbates the dangers for residents, encouraging aggression and crime. Insecurity exacerbates isolation, which is among the first risk factors for women and minors: if confined to the home, they are more exposed to violence from family members or neighbours. This is why Un Ponte Per has set up a transport service to access the safe spaces: a total of 2,771 rides were provided, benefiting 1,645 children and adolescents, and 1,126 women and adolescent girls.
In addition to providing specific services for the target group, Un Ponte Per decided to broaden the audience, to create awareness and prevention on the phenomenon of gender and domestic violence starting with informed services, which involved as many as 15,536 people in Raqqa, (263% of the initially identified target group), of all genders, ages and social conditions. This work was carried out in presence, through awareness-raising and group sessions led by the project staff, but above all through radio campaigns - 94% of the total - given the wide reach of this methodology, which allowed people to both listen to the broadcast and retrieve information and messages on the radio station's online platforms. Finally, training courses on specific project issues were provided for 35 members of the local Doz staff. The group, composed of 21 women and 14 men, benefited from supervision and training by both Doz and Un Ponte Per.
In the light of these numbers in Raqqa, the Darna Al-Aman project has enabled as many as 18,673 people to be involved, creating those 'new social ties' that, as Malandrin concludes, 'represent the best weapon to break isolation and bring about change in society over time'. In a context such as north-eastern Syria, where funds for humanitarian assistance are increasingly at risk, the support of the Italian Soka Gakkai Buddhist Institute's 'otto per mille' was therefore crucial in enabling Un Ponte Per and DOZ to continue their protection work.
Press release
Ukraine. New intervention by Un Ponte Per
Thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP) launches a new intervention to respond to the crisis in Ukraine
Rome, 5 April 2024 - The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 has led to a humanitarian crisis that remains on the agenda. As of February 2024, figures reported by UNHCR estimate that nearly 6.5 million people have left the country, and more than 3.5 million are currently internally displaced. Of these, 59% are women, and 25% children.
Serious violations against civilians, including those against children, have subjected millions of people to increasing exposure to trauma and mental health issues and have negatively impacted the mental and physical wellbeing and education of young people. It is precisely those young people who are at the forefront of the response to war and its humanitarian impact. Many have joined civil organisations, humanitarian coordination centres, working online to promote support for people in the temporarily occupied territories or to counter fake news and propaganda.
With this in mind, the Italian NGO Un Ponte Per has launched a new intervention to respond to the crisis in Ukraine. The project, entitled 'Joint Ukrainian-Romanian Initiative for Social Recovery, Inclusion and Community Cohesion', is funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), and is led by the Bukovinian Agency for Initiative and Development (BAID). On the ground it will be carried out by Un Ponte Per together with the Institute for Peace and Common Ground (IPCG) and Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR).
The aim of the intervention is to promote social inclusion and the strengthening of cohesion between Ukrainian communities in Ukraine, as well as the inclusion of Ukrainian refugees in Romania, thus contributing to stability and harmony in the region.
Spaces for dialogue and psycho-social support for the development of sustainable and safer communities will be created, facilitating access to education, mental health services and life-saving information on the risks of explosive devices. In addition, processes of recovery and strengthening of social relations in communities or societies affected by the conflict and crisis will be facilitated. A total of 13,846 people will directly benefit from the intervention. Among them 4,478 minors and 5,522 women.
The areas of intervention include several regions of Ukraine, including the Oblasts of Chernihiv, Mykolayiv, Kherson, Dnipro and Kharkiv, along with Cluj-Napoca and surrounding rural areas in Romania. The main beneficiaries of this project are Ukrainian residents, internally displaced persons and Ukrainian refugees in Romania.
In addition to addressing immediate needs, the project aims to promote long-term resilience and integration by fostering a sense of community and mutual understanding across borders. Through collaborative efforts, this initiative aims to create lasting positive impacts on the social fabric of both countries.
Building on its 30 years of experience in peacebuilding in places of crisis such as Iraq and North East Syria, Un Ponte Per has started to collaborate since February 2022 with other organisations specialising in this kind of intervention to give visibility to the actions of peace and social cohesion, non-violent resistance, conscientious objections to military service and resilience to trauma of Ukrainian civil society.
A delegation from Un Ponte Per travelled to Lviv in April and June 2022 to deliver humanitarian aid by joining the 'Stop the war now' peace convoy and to meet with local civil society.
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This project is part of the Emergency Initiative for the Conflict-Affected Population in Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries (AID 012832) led by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. With funding of EUR 46.5 million, the aim is to provide multi-sectoral life-saving assistance in areas directly affected by the conflict and surrounding areas with a high concentration of displaced persons. In partnership with 27 Civil Society Organisations, the AICS programme replicates and expands on the successes of the 2022-2023 Emergency First Initiative (AID 012600), which provided assistance to over 20,000 people through 14 projects with a focus in the areas of emergency, health, education and protection.
Press release
GAZA, A BRIDGE FOR: 'ATTACK ON AID WORKERS DELIBERATE, CEASEFIRE ESSENTIAL FOR AID DISTRIBUTION'
Rome, 3 April 2024 - "Excuses for making a mistake in the killing of the 7 aid workers of the World Central Kitchen organisation do not hold water. The manner in which the humanitarian convoy, which had followed all the procedures dictated by the Israeli Army and whose insignia was visible from above, was hit suggests a deliberate attack, in some ways a targeted execution. Our solidarity with our colleagues at WCK is total, as is our outrage at those responsible for this umpteenth violation of humanitarian law".
This was stated in a statement by Angelica Romano and Alfio Nicotra, national co-presidents of Un Ponte Per, an NGO that has been working in the Middle East since 1991.
"The decision by WCK and other NGOs to suspend the distribution of aid to the exhausted population," Nicotra and Romano continue, " is due to the total lack of credibility of the assurances given by the Israelis on the safety of the convoys and the personnel accompanying them. Humanitarian workers, hospitals, ambulances, places protected by international law, have been targets of Israeli weapons to the extent of producing a very painful and long list of 196 operators murdered since 7 October to date'.
"Only a true and prolonged ceasefire can allow the safe distribution of aid," Romano and Nicotra point out, "and the failure to comply with the UN Security Council resolution and the prescriptions issued by the International Court of Justice ruling on this issue should push our governments to issue economic sanctions and block all arms deliveries to Israel.
"For our part," conclude the two co-chairs of Un Ponte Per, "we will continue as long as we can, through our Palestinian partner, theUnion of Agricultural Work Committes (UAWC), the 'Water for Gaza' campaign to try to stem the tide of dehydration and gastrointestinal illnesses caused by drinking contaminated water. However, we expect that this new massacre will prompt the international community to take all appropriate steps to protect the civilian population from the illegal use of hunger and thirst as a tool of war'.
18 March 2024 _ Un Ponte Per, together with dozens of civil society organisations united in the coordination 'No more favours for arms merchants', launch a mobilisation to ask Parliament not to worsen the authorisation and control mechanisms and the safeguards of transparency on arms exports provided by Law 185 of 1990.
On 21 February 2024, the Senate passed a government-initiated bill in the Chamber of Deputies cancelling the mechanisms of transparency and parliamentary control over the arms trade and exports and the banks that finance such operations. With an unusual haste worthy of a better cause and taking advantage of the distraction of the press and public opinion, the bill was approved first in committee and then in the Senate chamber, where all the amendments that attempted to mitigate the measure's most harmful effects were rejected. The text is now before the Chamber of Deputies: it will be examined by the joint Foreign and Defence Committees and is expected to reach the Chamber in May. Dozens of civil society organisations are calling on MPs to amend the bill to restore parliamentary control over arms exports and the banks that do business with such transactions.
The importance of law 185/90
This is a groundbreaking law that Parliament passed in 1990 after a major campaign to mobilise civil society, including for the first time non-economic criteria in the assessment of the authorisation of foreign sales of Italian arms. This approach was then taken up by both the EU Common Position on arms exports and the ATT (Arms Trade Treaty). Although over the years Law 185 - which provides for a ban on sending arms to countries in conflict and where there are serious violations of human rights - has not been able to stop exports of military systems with very negative impacts, there is no doubt that it has played a great role in transparency. Allowing Parliament and civil society to know the details of an often highly opaque market.
Now this possibility of transparency is endangered by decisions that want to make arms sales more and more liberalised, using false rhetoric: it is not true that there is a problem of excessive controls on Italian arms exports and it is not true that this amendment to Law 185/90 will favour greater security for Italy at a time of international crisis. On the contrary, facilitating the sale abroad of arms that will surely end up in the world's most conflict-ridden areas will increase global insecurity, and therefore that of us all, just to guarantee easy profit for a few. This amendment to Law 185/90 starts from afar because for years the military industry lobby and the research and pressure centres connected to it have been clamouring to be able to practically liberalise arms exports. Those who do business selling arms and military systems around the world are not pleased that there is transparency and control even from civil society, as well as alignment with principles that do not only take turnover into account. We are already well aware that the authorisations issued have not always been in line with the criteria of Law 185/90 and international treaties: if the new bill were to pass, the situation would worsen, particularly on the issue of the intertwining of finance and arms production.
"For Parliament to approve such a counter-reform is a real act of self-defeat, because it would wipe out those prerogatives of control and transparency that Law 185 of 1990 places precisely in the hands of the Chambers. The invasiveness of the arms lobby is a threat to our democracy that wants to keep the public opinion of our country in the dark about its death plans'. This was stated by Angelica Romano and Alfio Nicotra co-presidents of Un Ponte Per.
The petition
The adhering civil society organisations ask citizens and all interested organisations to sign the petition published on the website of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network 'No more favours for arms dealers'.
Other mobilisations will also start in the coming days, including sending letters to parliamentarians, requesting parliamentary hearings and organising public meetings.
For more information:
Adhering to the mobilisation
Italian Peace Disarmament Network and all adhering organisations: Apuan Academy of Peace, ACLI, AGESCI, ALTROMERCATO, Local Democracy Embassy, Friends of the Palestinian Red Crescent, ANPI, ANSPS, AOI - Association for International Cooperation and Solidarity, Archivio Disarmo, ARCI, ARCI Bassa Val di Cecina, ARCI Servizio Civile aps, ARCS, Associazione Papa Giovanni XXIII, Association for Peace, AssopacePalestina, AUSER, Beati i costruttori di Pace, Casa per la pace di Modena, CDMPI - Centro di Documentazione del Manifesto Pacifista Internazionale, Centro Studi Difesa Civile, Centro Studi Sereno Regis, CGIL, CGIL Padova, CGIL Verona, CIPAX, CNCA, FCEI's Globalisation and Environment Commission (GLAM), Volterra Peace and Disarmament Committee, Conference of Missionary Institutes in Italy, Coordinamento Comasco per la Pace, Coordinamento pace in comune Milano, COSPE, Emmaus Italia, FIOM-Cgil, FOCSIV, Fondazione Angelo Frammartino, Fondazione Finanza Etica, Forum Trentino per la Pace e i diritti umani, Gruppo Abele, IPRI - CCP network, IPSIA, Lega per i diritti dei popoli, Legambiente, Libera, Link - coordinamento universitario, Link2007 cooperazione in rete, Lunaria, European Movement, International Movement for Reconciliation, Movimento Nonviolento, Nexus Emilia Romagna, Noi Siamo Chiesa, Opal Brescia, Pax Christi Italia, Percorsi di pace, Rete degli studenti medi, Rete della conoscenza, Scuola di Pace "Vincenzo Buccelletti" di Senigallia, Servas Italia, Tavola sarda della pace, U.S.Acli, UDS, UDU, Un Ponte Per, Ventiquattro marzo
Press Release
Solidarity Caravan - Rafah: Gaza beyond the border
From 3 to 6 March, a delegation of humanitarian workers, 16 parliamentarians, journalists, academics and experts in international law will travel to Egypt to reach the Rafah crossing point. This is an initiative promoted by the Association of Italian Organisations for International Cooperation and Solidarity (AOI Network), as part of the #EmergenzaGaza campaign, in collaboration with Amnesty International Italy, ARCI and Assopace Palestine.
Rome, 6 February 2024 - The delegation 's call is for an immediate ceasefire, for the resumption of international diplomatic action under the direction of the United Nations. The delegation vigorously supports the call by humanitarian organisations and the International Court of Justice for aid and humanitarian work to be allowed in. The aim of the Italian delegation is to demonstrate its closeness to the people of Gaza under siege and to show that something concrete can be done.
The Israeli military assault is causing such destruction, danger, terror and suffering that it is impossible for the international humanitarian system to organise a safe response to save lives.
The promoters call on the Italian government to act so that the ceasefire is permanent and the ongoing massacre stops, suspending its uncritical support for the Israeli government's policy, which makes it complicit in the ongoing tragedy. The government and parliament must do everything in their power to prevent further military offensives and create an environment conducive to negotiations and dialogue: in this framework, the issue of releasing the Israeli hostages must also be addressed. Civilians, those who always pay the highest price in conflicts, must be guaranteed protection from threats and violations of international humanitarian law.
Today, more than ever, it is necessary for the international community to condemn the Israeli occupation in Palestine, to oppose Israel's impunity in the face of continued violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. These are essential steps to create a sustainable and concrete path towards peace negotiations that are conducted within the framework of international legality.
The delegation will meet in Cairo with civil society organisations, human rights defenders, UN agencies, as well as the Italian diplomatic representations on site. It will then travel to Al Arish to follow the route of the containers of humanitarian aid made possible thanks to the #EmergenzaGaza fundraising campaign. Finally, he will reach the Rafah crossing to meet the humanitarian organisations that are working to try to send essential aid into the Strip, facing unimaginable difficulties. Among them are UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugee relief, which has been the target of a very serious attack in recent weeks, collectively affecting nearly 6 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, but also the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent, and the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Statements
Alfio Nicotra, AOI - Un Ponte Per: "We are leaving for Rafah because we cannot sit idly by while this massacre of children is taking place and everything is being taken away from them: life, play, education, health, the right to a future. Our #ErmergenzaGaza campaign has collected hundreds of small individual and collective donations, a sign that Italian civil society feels involved in the tragedy of the Palestinian people. We are also leaving to be close to our colleagues in the NGOs, to the humanitarian and health workers and to the journalists who are murdered and targeted by snipers and bombing every day. The Italian and EU governments must demand and act for a ceasefire.The plan to expel more than two million Palestinians from their land must be prevented."
Tina Marinari, Amnesty International Italy: "A month after the International Court of Justice ordered the six precautionary measures, the situation in the Gaza Strip has only worsened. The population is reduced to starvation and access to humanitarian aid continues to be blocked by Israel. As an occupying power, Israel has a clear obligation under international law to guarantee the basic needs of the population in Gaza. The Israeli blockade is a form of collective punishment and a war crime. We need to open our eyes and show the world all the crimes that are being committed in the face of international inaction.We need an immediate and permanent ceasefire to be unilaterally guaranteed as soon as possible."
Raffaella Bolini, Arci: 'We believe it is necessary that a signal reaches the people of Gaza that there is another Italy, another Europe, another West, that believes in international law, that believes in the politics of justice, that fights for a political solution based on international legality. To give a handhold of hope to those who suffer and survive and die wondering why no one does anything in the face of genocide. Ignorance in the face of oppression produces immense damage, for which everyone pays the price. The international community has not lifted a finger in the face of the betrayal of the peace process, the advance of occupation, settlements, and apartheid over the past thirty years. Those who today look with fear at the processes of radicalisation, in Israel and Palestine, must know that they are children of that sloth. For when the politics of justice are not there, only brute force remains.Politics must be put back into the field."
Luisa Morgantini, Assopace Palestina: "We will not reach the hell of Gaza, we would love to do so, but entry is barred not only to us, but also to UN speakers, journalists, and humanitarian aid that is allowed in in drops. We are witnessing a genocide and the cruelty of the Israeli government's choice to starve and destroy Gaza, as stated by ministers, not only messianic fundamentalists, but also by a secular President who says 'not there is an innocent in Gaza. The Gazawis must be wiped out, putting in their place settlers who will then be able to see the sea'. But the Palestinians in Gaza, in the West Bank, where every day the occupation kills and robs land, in Israel, in the refugee camps of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, and in the diaspora around the world, will know that they are not alone, they will know that there are millions of people in the world who are with them and not with the policies similar to those of our government that is complicit in the war crimes that are committed every single moment by the Israeli government. We will go all the way to Rafah on the Egyptian side with humanitarian aid, but above all to reaffirm our commitment that after 75 years of continuous Nakba and 56 years of military occupation, apartheid and colonisation, the Palestinian people have by far the right to self-determination and freedom.Not having practised it marks the failure of the International Community, primarily the European Union, which should be founded on justice and respect for the human and social rights of all.
Press Release
Iraq: 6 years of work to support women's health
The Italian NGO Un Ponte Per closes its long health support programme financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). The health centres opened will be transferred to the local authorities.
Rome, 6 February 2024 - Six years of work, more than 30 thousand people reached, an average of 15 patients per day visited, a health centre and a maternity ward that did not exist before made operational, 4 primary health centres and 5 hospitals supported: these are some of the numbers of "Salamtak" (in Arabic "Your Health"), the long programme of support to mental and reproductive health carried out in Iraq by the NGO Un Ponte Per (UPP), thanks to the support of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) . Operating in particular in the Nineveh Plain, between Mosul and Bashiqa, the programme has been operating in one of the most complex areas of the country, affected by the devastating effects of the war and the long occupation by Daesh (Islamic State).
Six years of work and a shared journey with the local population, which has seen the construction of health centres where none previously existed, the rehabilitation of existing ones, the training of specialised personnel and the raising of community awareness on the right to physical and psychological health.
Iraqi women and girls still face many obstacles when it comes to accessing sexual and reproductive health and rights. The people who have been received are on average between 13 and 65 years old and have approached the Centres for Pregnancy at Risk, Maternity Services and Maternal and Infant Care opened in the Nineveh Plain. The highest number of admissions recorded were young women between the ages of 18 and 34.
The maternity ward in the primary health centre in Hammam Al Alil, south of Mosul, was also reactivated, offering essential services such as antenatal and postnatal care, as well as educational programmes covering family planning and breastfeeding. The unit also ensures 2-3 safe deliveries per day and provides an average of 250 consultations per month to women and their babies. The facility serves over 39 villages, totalling approximately 120,000 people.
But "Salamtak" also supported the only public hospital in the Nineveh governorate that cares for burn patients, the Al Hurok Hospital in Mosul. There, UPP equipped two emergency rooms, inaugurated a few days before the terrible accident that hit the city of Qaraqosh in September 2023, which were thus able to be operational to respond to that emergency.
In the last phase of the project, which ended in December 2023, we teamed up with partner Solidarités International, whose intervention exceeded the objectives of rehabilitating water infrastructure, medical waste treatment and sanitation in five health centres in Mosul. Access to drinking water and sanitation services has been improved and medical waste treatment facilities upgraded. The project, which benefited over 5,000 people, was also complemented by educational workshops for male and female students on good hygiene practices and technical training for health personnel.
The work has always been carried out in cooperation with the local authorities, and in particular with the Directorate of Health in Nineveh, which UPP has accompanied to address structural deficiencies and the lack of trained personnel.
The local authorities will now be given the management of the health centres and the infrastructures that have been built and rehabilitated, providing them with the necessary support to ensure their operation and the presence of highly trained staff.
