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17 sept 2012
Gaza court issues life terms against two killers of Arrigoni
GAZA, (PIC)-- The standing military court in Gaza city issued on Monday morning different prison sentences against members of an extremist group after it found them guilty of kidnapping and killing the Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni in April last year.
Mahmoud Al-Salfiti, 24, and Tamer Al-Husasna, 26, were found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Arrigoni and each sentenced to life imprisonment and hard labor.
Another member of this group, Khadr Jerim, 26, received a 10-year prison term for kidnapping the Italian, while a fourth, Amer Abu Ghola, 26, was jailed for a year for providing the house in which Arrigoni was found hanged.
Arrigoni, 36, a long-time member of the pro-Palestinian international solidarity movement, was kidnapped on April 14, 2011 in Gaza by Salafist jihadists. The police found his body the other day in a house west of Jabaliya district.
The family of Arrigoni had expressed its willingness to see a fair trial held against the killers of their son and appealed not to condemn them to death.
Gaza court issues life terms against two killers of Arrigoni
GAZA, (PIC)-- The standing military court in Gaza city issued on Monday morning different prison sentences against members of an extremist group after it found them guilty of kidnapping and killing the Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni in April last year.
Mahmoud Al-Salfiti, 24, and Tamer Al-Husasna, 26, were found guilty of kidnapping and murdering Arrigoni and each sentenced to life imprisonment and hard labor.
Another member of this group, Khadr Jerim, 26, received a 10-year prison term for kidnapping the Italian, while a fourth, Amer Abu Ghola, 26, was jailed for a year for providing the house in which Arrigoni was found hanged.
Arrigoni, 36, a long-time member of the pro-Palestinian international solidarity movement, was kidnapped on April 14, 2011 in Gaza by Salafist jihadists. The police found his body the other day in a house west of Jabaliya district.
The family of Arrigoni had expressed its willingness to see a fair trial held against the killers of their son and appealed not to condemn them to death.
- 23 apr 2011
Funerals in West Bank and Gaza for slain Italian activist
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Palestinians gathered Saturday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to mourn Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian activist murdered by suspected Islamist radicals.
The mourners set up a link to Vittorio's funeral in Italy to send a live message to his family, a statement from the International Solidarity Movement said.
Palestinian singer Rim Banna was scheduled to perform in Ramallah, organizers told Ma'an. Mourners are also meeting in Gaza City.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=381483
Video Shows Family Members Of Arrigoni Kidnappers Urging His Release
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnI9V8T4oWg
All of the Muslims in the world are wrong, and you three are the only ones who are right?!! pleads the father of Mahmoud Salfity, one of the kidnappers, in a video published on a the website of the Palestinian Interior Ministry on Wednesday.
The video shows one family member after another begging the kidnappers of an Italian activist to let him go. Vittorio Arrigoni was killed by his kidnappers just hours after being abducted last week in Gaza.
On Wednesday April 20th, the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza, released new details on pleads made by the families of the kidnappers to release Arrigoni.
The kidnappers were barracking themselves in the second floor of a home in Al Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
The video first shows Hisham Al Sadeeni, detained by Hamas, trying to talk to one of the kidnappers, identified as Abu Amer, urging him to release Arrigoni, and telling him that he would be released by Hamas forces, and that the only thing that delays the release and resolving the issue of the other gunmen depends on the release of Arrigoni.
The second scene of the video shows the father of Mahmoud Al Salfity, one of the kidnappers, trying to speak to his son and bring some since to him, while the voice of another gunman was heard in the background as he was refusing the plead.
It is my right to speak to my son, the father said, %u201CI will stay here, I will sleep here if necessary, I urge you, I beg you let me speak to my son, the father was telling one of the gunmen, Do you consider yourself right and millions of Muslims in the world wrong?! You three do not represent the Muslims, what you are doing is wrong, the Salafists, the Islamic Jihad and everybody do not approve of what you are doing, everybody your brothers are begging you to come down, they don't want you to die, you should be more reasonable than that, please have some sense, please brother, for your own sake just come down son, I raised you, I took care of you, and you are doing this impiety?!
The father was also telling his son that Islam is a moderate religion, a humanitarian belief, and does not accept what is happening.
On the third scene the mother of Bilal Al Omary, one of the kidnappers, was urging the release of Arrigoni and assuring him that the Hamas security forces vowed not to harm him.
In the fourth scene, the uncle of Bilal was also urging him to release Arrigoni and telling him that nobody will abandon him and his friends, and will stand by them.
Do you hear me? Come down my dear Bilal, please come down, the uncle said, have some mercy on your father, on your mother, just come down.
The fifth scene shows the brother of Bilal telling him that Abdul-Rahman, one of the captures of Arrigoni will be allowed back to his country. And that he will be allowed to go wherever he wants without being harmed.
The mother was desperately pleading the release of Arrigoni, and a peaceful ending to the whole ordeal.
The pleads of ended with gunshots fired by the abductors from the second floor at their own family members downstairs.
http://fwd4.me/009q 8 sep 2011, 20:16 , Respect
Maria 24 apr 2011
Funeral of Vittorio Arrigoni
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foUc7YxfZ7c
PA awards medal to 'Palestinian martyrs'
Palestinian President says slain activists Juliano Mer-Khamis, Vittorio Arrigoni to receive 'Jerusalem medal' for dedicating life to Palestinian people. 'Murder only served interest of enemies,' says Fatah Central Committee Chairman Mahmoud al-Aloul.
The Palestinian Authority will award the "medal of Jerusalem" to Vittorio Arrigoni, the Pro-Palestinian Italian activists killed by Salafi extremist in the Gaza Strip and Juliano Mer-Khamis, the Israeli-Arab theater director murdered in Jenin, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Sunday.
Speaking at a Ramallah ceremony in memory of Arrigoni, Abbas said "the Italian activist came to Palestine to show solidarity with our people, and dedicated his life to our people while living in tough conditions in Gaza.
"He was murdered by a malicious hand that does not represent the tradition and values of the Palestinian people. This man, who came to us full of liveliness, returned to his family dead," he added.
Abbas also condemned the murder of Mer-Khamis, who was shot to death by masked assailants at the beginning of April.
"He dedicated his life to Palestinian culture and was murdered in cold blood," Abbas said, calling the two "martyrs of the Palestinian people."
The ceremony was attended by senior official in the Palestinian government, representatives of the Italian consulate in Jerusalem and members of Fatah and other Palestinian factions.
'Died for Palestine'
Fatah official Nabil Shaath said that "Vittorio Arrigoni died for Palestine, which makes him a Palestinian."
Shaath added that the medal will be given to one of Arrigoni's family members during their visit to the Palestinian Authority.
Commenting on Arrigoni's kidnapping, Fatah Central Committee Chairman Mahmoud al-Aloul said his murderers served the interest of the Palestinian people's enemies.
Also on Sunday, friends and family of Arrigoni bid their last farewells at a funeral service in his hometown in northern Italy.
Hundreds of people paid tribute to the body of Arrigoni, who was 36, and attended his funeral in the quiet town of Bulciago, some 35 km (21 miles) north of Milan where his mother is mayor.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4060275,00.html
Body of slain Gaza activist arrives in Rome
By Liliane Khalil
link to video http://fwd4.me/00BX
CAIRO (Ma'an) On Wednesday, the body of slain volunteer activist, Vittorio Arrigoni, arrived in his homeland after being transported to Cairo Airport from Gaza.
Hundreds of mourners, Palestinian friends and official delegates gathered at the Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Rome. The crowd broke into applause as the coffin draped in the Palestinian flag was unloaded from the plane and loaded into the hearse. Placed on top of the flag-draped casket was a wreath, sent by friends of Vik in Gaza, which read, Vittorio, we will never forget you!
Among Palestinian delegates to attend the arrival of Vittorio's body in Rome were President Mahmoud Abbas and the minister for religious affairs, Rev. Elias Issa Musleh, the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Jerusalem. Other Palestinian representatives were Amb. to Rome Sabri Ateyeh, and the representative of the Palestinian community in Italy.
From the airport, the hearse was followed by mourners to La Sapienza University's Institute of Forensic Medicine, where an autopsy was conducted on Thursday. Paolo Arbarello, the doctor who performed the autopsy, said the cause of death was most likely strangulation by electrical cord or cable. The Rome Attorney General's office has opened a file into the murder charging the killers with kidnapping for the purpose of terrorism and aggravated death of a hostage.
Vittorio Arrigoni was born in Besana in Brianza, near Milan, to Ettore and Egidia Beretta. The family owned small businesses, but Vittorio's mother became involved in local politics and was eventually elected mayor of Bulciaga, in the center of Brianza. Vittorio joined the family business before he became actively involved in humanitarian aid work.
That spirit of helping his fellow humans took Vittorio to Palestine. First he worked with the International Solidarity Movement in Jerusalem in 2002, where he became a vocal activist against Israel's policies toward the Palestinian population of the West Bank.
In 2005, Vittorio was placed on Israel's infamous black list of undesirables a list mainly made up of international volunteers who work with various Palestinian NGOs to monitor Israel's activities both in the West Bank and Gaza.
In 2008, Vittorio moved to Gaza where he began several media services to disseminate information about the plight of its people. He also made enemies within Hamas that same year, after criticizing the elected government for what he viewed as theocratic and authoritarian policies. Later, he was wounded and placed in an Israeli jail after he defended fishermen attempting to fish in the port of Gaza, which is under Israeli naval control.
Among Vittorio's journalistic accomplishments, he was a correspondent for Italian daily newspaper, peace reporter and Gaza contributor for Italy's Radio 2, a division of Italy's most-watched television network RAI. He also contributed to a number of other Western newspapers, journals, television networks and radio programs. He was often considered the premiere voice of the Palestinian people of Gaza, when other journalists were banned from entering the region.
In 2009, Vittorio authored a book, Stay Human, a collection of dispatches and reports from Gaza during and after Israel's Operation Cast Lead. According to Amnesty International, Cast Lead was twenty-two days of death and destruction which left over 1,400 Palestinians dead and large areas of the Gaza Strip completely razed. Much of Vittorio's book are extractions from his blog Guerrilla Radio, which achieved international fame as the only source documenting the war on Gaza. Stay Human has since been translated into English, French, German and Spanish with a new introduction in the latest re-publishing by Israeli historian Ilan Pappe.
According to his friend and fellow activist in Gaza, Nalan Al-Sarraj, Vittorio was no stranger to death threats. Because of his dedication to democracy and human rights, there were various groups against his presence in Gaza, including segments of the governing body, Hamas. On the evening of Thursday, April 14, Vittorio was abducted at gunpoint while leaving the gym he frequented in Gaza City.
Later that night a video surfaced on YouTube from a shadowy Salafist extremist organization. The footage showed a beaten and blindfolded Vittorio, while the narrator accused Italy of being an infidel state and said the activist was in Gaza to spread corruption. The group demanded the release of several militant Salafists being held in Palestinian prisons, or the hostage would be killed the following afternoon.
Hours into Friday morning, Hamas forces raided a home in Gaza City after receiving a tip from an arrested member of the Salafists who kidnapped Vittorio. Vittorio's body was discovered inside the house and an initial autopsy performed by the Gaza Institute of Forensic Medicine correlated with the follow-up autopsy performed in Italy Vittorio was hanged. His murder most likely occurred on the same evening of his kidnapping, according to the forensic reports.
A symbolic state funeral was held for Vittorio in Gaza on Monday, before his body was transported to Egypt. In Rafah, another group of Palestinians turned out to pay their respects and to denounce the kidnapping and murder of their martyred brother. Vittorio's girlfriend, Claudia Milani, traveled from Italy to Gaza where she received mourners and friends at a funeral tent set up in Gaza City.
Al-Sarraj said she met Vittorio in 2010 and that the news of his death has broken her heart. While visiting the funeral tent last Sunday, Nalan paid respects to Claudia and recited a speech on behalf of the Palestinian youth group that she works with. Nalan said she believed that Palestinians were not responsible for the kidnapping and murder.
They want the world to hate us and perpetuate the stereotype that we are all terrorists. The people of Gaza are about peace and love and we loved Vittorio, Nalan said. She went on to say that Vittorio believed in us and our cause to stay human. I would like to pass this message on to the world in tribute to Vittorio: Stay human and feel us with your hearts.
Al-Sarraj lost her father during Israel's Operation Cast Lead, yet she remains hopeful that in time peace will come to her country under siege. She says Vittorio used to call me the most beautiful Palestinian journalist. I say to him now if he can hear me You are my hero, brother, and I will always miss you.
http://fwd4.me/00BW
German MP blames Israel for Mer, Arrigoni deaths
Berlin Inge Höger, a Left Party member of the Bundestag who was aboard the Mavi Marmara when it tried to break the blockade of Gaza last May, had reportedly attributed the recent murders of pro- Palestinian Israeli filmmaker Juliano Mer-Khamis and Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni to Israeli occupation government.
Writing on her Left Party website, Höger asked: The question one must pose is: Who profits from this terrible crime? First of all, now two of the activists most dangerous for Israel, because they were the most engaged, well known and noted, are eliminated.
The murders of Vittorio and Juliano could also be a means of dealing a serious blow to the international solidarity movement especially given the upcoming second flotilla and the fact that international activists still won't let themselves be prevented from going to Palestine.
She continued, In the past there have been many documented false flag attacks (for example, the Lavon Affair [in 1954]), and in the Palestinian territories there are constantly cases of collaboration by Palestinians with Israel in the murder of Palestinians for money, for a new ID card, for travel permits.
Udo Steinbach, the former head of the German Orient Institute in Hamburg, is the patron of the German delegation helping to organize the second Gaza flotilla. Steinbach is a pro Palestine activist who opposes the racist policies of Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people.
He compares Palestinian resistance against Israel to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Germans in 1943.
The Israelis are massacring the Palestinians, Steinbach has said.
Pro Palestinian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was killed by a group of fanatics, three Palastinians and one Jordanian who arrived in Gaza illegally and for unknown purposes.
Palestinian security sources reported that Abdul Rahman Al Breizat ,22, from Jordan has killed one of his colleagues and injured one another before committing a suicide. Committing a suicide by the Jordanian suspect considered by Palestinias and security services in Gaza as abnormal behavior that hides a lot of secrets believed to be burried with the murderer himself.
http://fwd4.me/00BD 23 sep 2011, 17:20 , Respect
Maria 25 apr 2011
Singing Unadikum for Vittorio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1OXlof_lpg
People in Istanbul, came together on Sunday, to hold a meeting tribute to Italian-Palestinian journalist/activists Vittorio Arrigoni who killed recently in his beloved Gaza. There was also an official funeral ceremony held by his friends and family in Italy.
Italian researcher in Gaza: Arrigoni murder will not effect Palestinian support
GAZA, (PIC)-- Italian researcher Dr. Paola Manduca, who is currently visiting the Gaza Strip, has said that the murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni will not effect the solidarity the Italians and world peace activists have with the Palestinians.
The statement came during a meeting with Palestinian Health Minister Bassem Naim, after the latter sent the condolences of those working in the ministry and Palestinian government to Arrigoni's family.
He emphasized that everyone who loves Palestine condemns the Arrigoni murder, which he said conflicts with Palestinian customs and traditions.
Naim met with Manduca while she was on a mission to the Strip to research congenital malformations in the Gaza Strip due to chemical weapons used in Israeli aggression.
The meeting was also attended by Dr. Mohammed al-Kashif, director-general of the international cooperation board, and Eng. Awni Naim, vice-president of the environmental quality authority.
They discussed the environmental impacts of internationally banned weapons Israeli used during attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Manduca expressed her willingness to aid the health ministry.
http://fwd4.me/00G1 8 oct 2011, 01:50 , Respect
Maria 26 apr 2011
Foreign solidarity activists participate in building school in the Jordan Valley
JENIN, (PIC)-- Foreign solidarity activists along with Palestinian citizens started on Tuesday in building a school in Ras Al-Oje southeast of Tobas in the Jordan Valley .
Citizens in the area told the PIC reporter over the phone that more than 70 Palestinians and foreign solidarity activists laid down the foundation stone of the school.
They said that the school was named after the slain Italian activist Vittorio Arrigone to affirm that the killing of the Italian activist would not deter foreign sympathizers from pursuing their support for the Palestinian people.
They said that the school would be built of straw and mud, and added that they welcome any material or financial donations. They noted that the school was built solely depending on their own resources.
The school is meant to ascertain the right of 70 students in the area in learning, they said.
Ras Al-Oje is deprived of all services and is inhabited by around 300 Bedouin families, who had been expelled from their land by the Israeli occupation authority for the sake of building an army camp back in 1982.
http://fwd4.me/00Lr
Jericho names street in honor of slain activist
JERICHO (Ma'an) -- Jericho Municipality announced Tuesday that it would name a road "Vittorio Arrigoni Street" to honor the memory and service of the slain Italian activist.
In a statement, the municipality said the decision was made to show "appreciation for his solidarity with Palestinian People and due to the close relation that connects Jericho with all Italian cities."
Mayor of Jericho Hassan Saleh called the gesture a "small effort" for the activist, who was abducted by a group of fringe Salafists demanding the release of fellow Salafis from Hamas prison. He was found murdered early the next morning.
Saleh condemned the killing of the activist, who had traveled to Gaza on one of the siege-breaking ships from Cyprus, and had been in the coastal enclave for three years. The mayor praised the efforts of activists like Arrigoni, who stood in solidarity with Palestinians.
In the Hebron municipality, Beit Ula named a public garden after the activist, while in Bethlehem a memorial to the Italian was unveiled commemorating his service and the work of other activists in Palestine.
President Mahmoud Abbas announced that during an anticipated visit to Palestine, Arrigoni's mother would be handed the Jerusalem medal to honor her son. The medal was also awarded to slain Jenin theater director Juliano Mer-Khamis, who was gunned down in front of the theater in early April.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=382222 3 dec 2011, 22:54 , Respect
Maria 29 aug 2011
Update on Vittorio Arrigoni’s murder– trial to begin next week
This article by Michele Giorgio was originally published on 23 August 2011 in the Italian newspaper Il Manifesto. Translation by Daniela Loffreda. Republished with Giorgio's permission.
The trial for the two Palestinians implicated in the 15 April kidnapping and murder of the Italian journalist and activist should begin on 8 September 2011.
In recent days we have truly felt the loss of Vittorio Arrigoni. The man we loved to call “Vik” spoiled us with accurate real time information on what was happening in Gaza, without neglecting the smallest of details. His contribution would have been invaluable during these hours that the Gaza Strip is reliving the fear of Israeli bombing, “targeted” attacks which are not really so targeted and tanks ready to engage in devastating raids deep into the strip of Palestinian land which always ends up paying for everyone. Even now Vik could have told us much, but young assassins allegedly from the Salafist group “Tawhid Wal Jihad” – apparently wanting to establish themselves as an armed group by means of the important kidnapping last 15 April, ripped Vittorio away from his family and friends and to many others in Italy (and not only Italy) who followed his daily updates about the plight of Gaza.
Did things really go as the seem? There are many unresolved mysteries and few certainties. In any case, the hypothesis that Vittorio’s murder was directed by external forces is not to be discarded. Perhaps we will finally know more on 8 September when the first hearing shall take place for at least one of the assassins. For the moment, this hypothesis is only an indiscretion passed along to Il Manifesto (Italian newspaper) by a well informed Gazan journalist with good sources of information within the Hamas government who has requested anonymity. Caution is obligatory in light of the reticent behaviour bordering on ambiguity shown by the Islamic movement since 15 April when Vik was killed. This comportment has not changed despite the assurances offered on many occasions to Vittorio’s family by the foreign secretary of the Hamas government, Ghazi Hazad.
The government of Gaza has yet to make an official announcement about the inquiries made over the last months and through their representatives have advanced rather vague hypotheses to Il Manifesto about the organizers and those that carried out Vik’s murder. Not only that, but our source added that on 11 August a preliminary hearing of the trial was held. And just two months ago, the Hamas government refused to share their files containing the results of the investigations done over the last months with the lawyers of Vittorio’s parents.
The investigation implemented by the military prosecutors in Gaza was closed in the second half of June and the files were delivered to the military judges that subsequently decided to put two Palestinians (presently in jail) involved in the homicide to trial (two others were killed in a shootout with special Hamas troops immediately after Vik’s assassination). It is clear that the trial and the publication of the minutes of the interrogations of the accused will have exceptional weight in understanding the reasons of Vittorio’s assassination, who was held in high esteem among Gazans. Unfortunately however, the Gazan authorities have refused to release those files so far because Vik’s mother and father signed an imperfect power of attorney on behalf of the Centre for Palestinian Human Rights of Gaza. According to the military judges in Gaza, the Arabic translation of the power of attorney should have been done by the Palestinian Delegation in Italy, with the proper stamp affixed, in addition to another stamp from the Italian Foreign Office.
Over the last weeks, the lawyers of the Arrigoni family in Italy have been working hard to meet the demands of Gaza and the stamps required by Hamas for the delivery of the files. The hope is to get them to Gaza before the opening of the trial. But the obstacles to overcome are still many, beginning with the heavy restrictive Israeli measures that limit the ability of Gaza residents to receive mail from another country (for important documents it is required to use a courier). Additionally, it is uncertain whether or not there will be an open door trial with access permitted to the foreign press.
http://fwd4.me/0Azk 6 dec 2011, 21:59 , Respect
Maria 8 sept 2011
Vittorio Arrigoni trial, day one
The trial of four surviving defendants in the April 14 kidnapping and murder of Italian journalist and International Solidarity Movement activist Vittorio Arrigoni began today in a Gaza military court.
The hearing, which began at 10:30 am, was open to the public. Two International Solidarity Movement members, along with a number of Vittorio’s Palestinian and international friends, observed it.
It was held in a light, airy hall in Gaza’s military court compound. The four defendants, Abu Ghoul, age 25, Khader Jram, age 26, Mohammed Salfi, age 23, and Hasanah Tarek, age 25, appeared to be in good health, occasionally smiling or waving to family in the courtroom.
Proceedings began with a request by attorneys from the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR), which holds power of attorney for Vittorio’s family in Bulciago, Italy, that they be allowed to participate in the trial.
Military judge Abu Omar Atallah responded that while Palestinian military law does not allow for participation in criminal trials by third parties, the case and its files would be open to PCHR as well as the public.
After the PCHR attorneys moved their chairs from the front of the courtroom back into the public seating, prosecutors attempted to introduce the video contents of a compact disk, as well as a forensic report on the crime scene, as evidence.
The defense counsel responded that the prosecution had not yet made these materials available to them, and that they would need time to review them before deciding on their legal strategy.
Prosecutors also asked that testimony from their witnesses be postponed to allow them further time to prepare. The defense counsel objected, noting that testimony had been scheduled to begin today.
Taking these positions into account, Atallah opted to allow time for the preparation of witnesses by the prosecution, and the review of evidence by the defense. Before adjourning the court at 11:30 am, he scheduled its next hearing for Thursday, September 22.
http://palsolidarity.org/2011/09/20103/
Italian activist's murder trial due to start in Gaza
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The first session of a trial to sentence the murderers of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni is due to start on Thursday in a Gaza court, a Ma'an correspondent reported.
The Italian activist and journalist was murdered after being kidnapped by a group that identified itself as Salafist, on April 15, 2011.
He was found hanged in a house northwest of Gaza City.
Hamas security forces were able to find the group responsible for the murder in An-Nuseirat refugee camp, three days after the murder.
Clashes erupted between the group and Hamas forces, killing two of the accused murderers. A third was injured and a fourth detained.
President Abbas condemned the murder of Arrigoni as a "grotesque and disgraceful crime."
News of the Italian activist's murder was greeted with widespread condemnation, and demonstrations and vigils were held across the West Bank in his memory.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=418483 6 dec 2011, 22:00 , Respect
Maria 18 sept 2011
Help Supporters of Vittorio Arrigoni Attend Murder Trial in Gaza
From The Freedom Flotilla Italia website...
(ROME) - Last April humanitarians around the world heard the worst news, that an activist larger than life itself, Vittorio Arrigoni, the founder of the International Solidarity Movement in Gaza (ISM) had been murdered.
His death came after the loss of another great voice. Juliano Mehr Khamis, a Jewish/Christian Palestinian who operated the West bank Freedom Theater, famous from the movie 'Arna's Children' - was murdered, also supposedly by 'Palestinians'. The problem is that in each case, there never was a reason their losses would benefit anyone in the world except for aspirations of the Israeli government.
The Arrigoni family attorney, accompanied by a small delegation of Italian citizens, is traveling to Gaza City for the second audience of the process that will shed light on the role of the alleged assassins, accused of killing the man known to tens of thousands as “the voice of Gaza”.
The trial for the murderers of Vittorio Arrigoni began on 8 September in Gaza. Italian media naturally ignored the news with the exception of Il Manifesto newspaper.
Supporters of Vittorio's cause issued this statement:
"We think it is important to be close to Vik’s family in these moments, but also be witnesses in front of the Palestinians of Gaza that his companions do not forget him, for his history is an integral part of our plight alongside the Palestinian people.
"Therefore we will be sending a delegation from the Freedom Flotilla Italia to the hearings which will commence on 22 September in the Military Tribunal of Gaza.
"In order to achieve what we are proposing, we need the same help, support and participation that has accompanied us through this very long year.
"We are once again appealing to everyone to donate by clicking on the 'Donate' icon on the left hand side of the website (Freedom Flotilla website http://www.freedomflotilla.it/) and participate in building information sharing.
"We are on our way again."
http://fwd4.me/0CAa 6 dec 2011, 22:05 , Respect
Maria 22 sept 2011
Gaza court questions accused in death of Italian
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — A Gaza military court on Thursday played the alleged confessions of four men accused in the April kidnap and murder of Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni.
Of the four men, all from Gaza, two are accused of murder, a third of having helped in the kidnap and killing, and a fourth of providing the house where the body of Arrigoni was found hanging, hours after he was snatched.
The defendants appeared in Gaza City courtroom unshackled and in civilian clothes, all four sporting beards. They appeared calm and responded to questions from the court’s three judges.
The prosecution submitted four CDs purportedly containing videotaped confessions from each defendant.
The judges called each of the accused to the bench to observe a portion of their alleged confession being played on a laptop, which was not visible to the court’s audience.
“Is this your confession?” one of the judges asked Tamer al-Husasna, 25, who is charged with murder.
“Yes, but it was taken from me by force,” he replied, alleging he had been tortured by Hamas’s internal security forces.
The three other defendants also claimed that their confessions were extracted from them by torture, though they gave no details of their alleged mistreatment.
A lawyer observing the trial on behalf of a Gaza rights group told AFP on condition of anonymity that the trial had been adjourned to October 3, when the prosecution was expected to present additional witness testimony.
The three other defendants in the case are 23-year-old Mahmud al-Salfiti, who is charged with murder, Khadr Faruk Jerim, 25, who is accused of assisting the kidnap and murder, and Amer Abu Ghola, also 25, who allegedly provided the house in which Arrigoni was held and later killed.
Arrigoni, a long-time member of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, was kidnapped on April 14.
Shortly after his disappearance, a previously-unknown Salafist group released a YouTube video showing a bruised and bloodied Arrigoni and threatened to kill him within 30 hours if Hamas failed to release a group of jihadist prisoners.
Hamas security forces found Arrigoni’s body shortly afterward, ahead of the stated deadline, in an abandoned house in northern Gaza.
Among those the group demanded be freed was a leader of the Salafist group Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War), which denied involvement in the incident.
Hamas quickly arrested several suspects in the case, and a week later raided a house where three more suspects were reportedly hiding.
Two were killed during the raid, and a third was taken into custody.
Arrigoni’s death shocked the local community and international aid workers and activists in Gaza, where he had lived and worked for much of the three years prior to his death.
http://fwd4.me/0iA7 6 dec 2011, 22:05 , Respect
Maria 23 sept 2011
Arrigoni murder suspects retract 'coerced' confessions
GAZA CITY (AFP) -- A Gaza military court on Thursday played the alleged confessions of four men accused in the April kidnap and murder of Italian peace activist Vittorio Arrigoni.
Of the four men, all from Gaza, two are accused of murder, a third of having helped in the kidnap and killing, and a fourth of providing the house where the body of Arrigoni was found hanging, hours after he was snatched.
The defendants appeared in Gaza City courtroom unshackled and in civilian clothes. They appeared calm and responded to questions from the court's three judges.
The prosecution submitted four CDs purportedly containing videotaped confessions from each defendant.
The judges called each of the accused to the bench to observe a portion of their alleged confession being played on a laptop, which was not visible to the court's audience.
"Is this your confession?" one of the judges asked Tamer al-Husasna, 25, who is charged with murder.
"Yes, but it was taken from me by force," he replied, alleging he had been tortured by Hamas' internal security forces.
The three other defendants also claimed that their confessions were extracted from them by torture, though they gave no details of their alleged mistreatment.
A lawyer observing the trial on behalf of a Gaza rights group said on condition of anonymity that the trial had been adjourned to Oct. 3, when the prosecution was expected to present additional witness testimony.
The three other defendants in the case are 23-year-old Mahmud al-Salfiti, who is charged with murder, Khadr Faruk Jerim, 25, who is accused of assisting the kidnap and murder, and Amer Abu Ghola, also 25, who allegedly provided the house in which Arrigoni was held and later killed.
Arrigoni, a long-time member of the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, was kidnapped on April 14.
Shortly after his disappearance, a previously unknown Salafist group released a YouTube video showing a bruised and bloodied Arrigoni and threatened to kill him within 30 hours if Hamas failed to release a group of jihadist prisoners.
Security forces found Arrigoni's body shortly afterward, ahead of the stated deadline, in an abandoned house in northern Gaza.
Among those the group demanded be freed was a leader of the Salafist group Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War), which denied involvement in the incident.
Hamas quickly arrested several suspects in the case, and a week later raided a house where three more suspects were reportedly hiding.
Two were killed during the raid, and a third was taken into custody.
Arrigoni's death shocked the local community and international aid workers and activists in Gaza, where he had lived and worked for much of the three years prior to his death.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=422739 6 dec 2011, 22:12 , Respect
Maria 7 oct 2011
Arrigoni murder trial to resume Monday
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- The military trial for four people suspected in the killing of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni will resume on Oct. 10, officials in Gaza City said this week.
The court held its fifth session on Monday and heard from witnesses brought by the prosecution including a forensics specialist from the Gaza police forces and a pathologist.
Of the four suspects, two are accused of murder, a third of having helped in the kidnap and killing, and a fourth of providing the house where the body of Arrigoni was found hanging, hours after he was snatched.
Arrigoni, a long-time member of the International Solidarity Movement, was kidnapped on April 14.
Shortly after his disappearance, a previously unknown Salafist group released a YouTube video showing a bruised and bloodied Arrigoni and threatened to kill him within 30 hours if Hamas failed to release a group of jihadist prisoners.
Security forces found Arrigoni's body shortly afterward, ahead of the stated deadline, in an abandoned house in northern Gaza.
Among those the group demanded be freed was a leader of the Salafist group Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War), which denied involvement in the incident.
Hamas quickly arrested several suspects in the case, and a week later raided a house where three more suspects were reportedly hiding.
Two were killed during the raid, and a third was taken into custody.
Arrigoni's death shocked the local community and international aid workers and activists in Gaza, where he had lived and worked for much of the three years prior to his death.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=426126 6 dec 2011, 22:12 , Respect
Maria 20 oct 2011
The ongoing trial in the murder of solidarity activist Vittorio Arrigoni
by Hussein Amoody and Radhika S.
The military trial of the four men charged with the death of Italian International Solidarity Movement Activist Vittorio Arrigoni continued in Gaza City today.
The small courtroom was packed with friends and colleagues of Arrigoni, in addition to four or five members of the defendants’ families. All four defendants appeared unshackled behind a caged-off portion of the courtroom and remained standing throughout the trial.
The trial began today with the parties checking where they had left off on the September 22 session.
The prosecutor, dressed in olive-colored military pants and a khaki shirt, then stated that “each of the accused strangled him [Arrigoni] by plastic handcuffs,” and therefore all four were complicit in Arrigoni’s kidnapping and killing. Previously, only two of the defendants had been charged with murder; the other two were charged with aiding and abetting in Mr. Arrigoni’s kidnapping and killing, and the fourth in providing the house where his body was found hanging.
The attorney for Defendant Mohammed Salfiti then requested that the official responsible for making a video and report of the defendants’ confessions on behalf of the government appear in court so that he could be examined by the defense. The three judges, garbed in military uniform, denied the request after the prosecutor stated that “in the military we are all one unit,” and that the individual who made the report had already confirmed its accuracy.
The prosecutor then submitted into evidence a mobile phone and a laptop computer, which he stated were used in the commission of Arrigoni’s murder.
Judge Mansour held up the mobile phone and asked Salfiti if the phone was his. Salfiti stated that “I came after they kidnapped him [Arrigoni] and I recorded that video by my mobile.”
Defendant Tamar Hasasnah was then called forth from the metal cage and questioned by Judge Mansour about a how a laptop admitted into evidence was used in the commission of the crime. Hasasnah stated that the laptop was used to edit the video of Arrigoni and publish it on the internet.
After Hasanah’s testimony, the prosecutor added that Defendants “used the laptop to edit the video and publish it on the internet asking to release Hisham al-Saidany,” then described Arrigoni’s physical condition as depicted in the video. The government arrested al-Saidany, the leader of Tawhid al-Jihad – which denied any role in the murder – in March of this year.
Salfiti then testified that the laptop was his, and that it was used to publish the video of Arrigoni on the internet.
Approximately twenty minutes into the session, an argument broke out between counsel when the defense interrupted the prosecution and stated that they had not received copies of certain files with respect to the laptop, which the prosecution claimed had already been made available. The defense attorney then told the judge, “he is trying to call us liars.”
The prosecutor than asked the judge if the rest of the trial could be delayed so that he could “get other files” needed for the trial. The exact files were not specified. The Court agreed to adjourn the trial until Thursday, November 3, 2011.
An attorney with the Palestinian Committee for Human Rights (PCHR) and five volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), including one attorney, observed the trial. Arrigoni, a longtime member of the ISM, was kidnapped on April 14, 2011. Thousands of people throughout Palestine mourned his death.
Hussein Amoody and Radhika S. are activists with International Solidarity Movement.
http://fwd4.me/0iA4 6 dec 2011, 22:12 , Respect
Maria 3 dec 2011
Twitter
RichardDufek Vittorio Arrigoni's father died last night. R.I.P
Tribute to Vittorio Arrigoni (1975 - 2011) Carlos Latuff
6 dec 2011, 22:12 , Respect
Maria 5 dec 2011
Military court in Gaza holds the 9th session to consider the case relating to the death of Italian solidarity activist, Vittorio Arrigoni
On Monday 05 December 2011, the Permanent Military Court in Gaza held the ninth session in Gaza City to consider the case relating to the death of the Italian solidarity activist, Vittorio Arrigoni. Lawyers from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) attended the session in their capacity as legal representatives of the Arrigoni family.
During the session, the Court heard witnesses presented by the Office of the Military Prosecutor. One of the witnesses heard by the Court is a member of the Civil Defense Service, whose headquarter is located opposite Arrigoni’s former house in Gaza City. The Court adjourned the case to 19 December 2011 because of absence of the second witness.
During the session, the legal representative of one of the accused persons requested the release of his client on bail, but the Judge refused this request.
PCHR will continue to follow up the sessions held by the Court to consider Arrigoni’s case and update the Arrigoni family on developments, in coordination with the family’s representative, Attorney Gilberto Pagani, based on a power of attorney granted by the family to PCHR lawyers.
http://fwd4.me/0iA6 31 aug 2012, 15:25 , Respect
Maria 6 dec 2011
Arrigoni murder trial resumes in Gaza City
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The ninth session in the trial of four people suspected in the killing of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni was held in a military court in Gaza City on Monday.
Arrigoni was found hanged in a house northwest of Gaza City on April 15, 2011. He had been kidnapped by a group that identified itself as Salafist.
The court heard from witnesses presented by the prosecution, including a civil defense officer whose headquarters is opposite Arrigoni's former home, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said in a statement.
The court was adjourned until Dec. 19 because a second witness was not present, the center said, adding that the judge refused a request for bail for one of the accused.
PCHR lawyers were granted power of attorney by Arrigoni's relatives, and the center said it would update the family on the developments.
Of the four men on trial, two are accused of murder, a third of having helped in the kidnap and killing, and a fourth of providing the house where the body of Arrigoni was found hanging, hours after he was snatched.
In the court's first hearing in September, the military prosecutor submitted four CDs purportedly containing videotaped confessions from each defendant. All four men told the court their confessions had been extracted from them by torture.
Hamas forces killed two men accused of the murder in April when clashes erupted during a raid in Nuseirat refugee camp three days after Arrigoni was killed. A third was injured and a fourth detained.
News of the Italian activist's murder was greeted with widespread condemnation, and demonstrations and vigils were held across the West Bank in his memory.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=442314 31 aug 2012, 15:25 , Respect
Maria 31 aug 2012
Arrigoni’s murder trial: Answers not just a verdict
Vittorio Arrigoni sent daily dispatches to Italian media from the Gaza Strip during Israel's 'Operation Cast Lead.
By Ramzy Baroud
There was once a young man from a very small Italian town called Bulciago who wished to change the world. As soon as he finished his exams, he began his quest. He traveled near and far, and when he arrived in Jerusalem in 2002, he knew he had found his calling.
In 2008, that young man, Vittorio Arrigoni, sailed the high seas on a small boat. His purpose was to help end the siege imposed on a long-suffering population living in the tiny Gaza Strip. In a journal entry that was recently published in a much anticipated book, Freedom Sailors, Arrigoni wrote:
"History is us; History is not cowardly governments; with their loyalty to whoever has the strongest military; History is made by ordinary people."
Vittorio's history sees "ordinary people" as actors who can change the world: courageous sailors who can challenge great military powers, doctors dashing through borders and saving lives, writers, teachers, speakers, musicians and people from all backgrounds.
Vittorio's middle name was Utopia, but his was hardly a utopian undertaking. It was very much real, and Vittorio was himself charting the way for others.
Once in Gaza, he was determined to see his mission through to the very end, despite having many compelling reasons to leave. In September 2008, he was injured by the Israeli navy as he accompanied Palestinian fishermen in Gaza's territorial waters. A month later he was arrested -- or more likely, kidnapped -- by the Israeli military, and subsequently deported.
A month later he returned, just in time to report on the so-called Operation Cast Lead. This was a one-sided war on Gaza between December 2008 and January 2009, following the failure of the siege to achieve Israel's political objectives. The 22-day war killed over 1,400 people and wounded thousands more.
Vittorio was there to witness it all. As many turned the war off and on through their remote controls, Vittorio was accompanying ambulances in middle of the night, comforting the wounded, weeping with the bereaved, calling on the world to help, and surviving the war himself.
He sent daily dispatches to Italian media, blogged on his website and wrote to friends the world over. His book, Restiamo Umani (Stay Human) offers a glimpse into the courageous man's experiences. In his first entry, he wrote as an Italian activist. By the end, he was a Palestinian man besieged in Gaza.
In the eyes of some, he was dangerous. A US-based far-right website called for his murder. It was not Vittorio the person that alarmed Israel, but the notion of what he and others like him symbolized -- a challenge to the predictability of a conflict between a powerful oppressor and a powerless but defiant oppressed.
As far as Israel was concerned, an idealist from a northern Italian town had no business being in Gaza, where people are indefinitely caged in an open air prison. Neither Vittorio nor any other international activist was supposed to disturb the inhumane experiment.
Yet, Vittorio's story had a most unexpected twist. In April 2011, he was kidnapped and murdered. His murderers were Palestinians from Gaza, commanded by a mysterious Jordanian character whose origins and motives remain unclear. It was a horrifying, anti-climactic end to a story that was never intended to turn so wrong.
It took Palestinian society a long time to reconcile with the fact that Vittorio's murderers were in fact Gazans, while others gloated with triumph. Vittorio's very detractors were leading a media war defaming Palestinians, international activists and the supposedly misguided Italian who believed that the ordinary could change history.
Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, historian Geoffrey Alderman stated: "Few events -- not even the execution of Osama bin Laden -- have caused me greater pleasure in recent weeks than news of the death of the Italian so-called 'peace activist' Vittorio Arrigoni." Pleasure at the killing of a peace activist is fully consistent with Israel's ceaseless efforts at "discouraging" international activists from showing solidarity to Palestinians.
Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since the breakup with rival Fatah in 2007, seemed genuine in its attempt to capture Vittorio's killers. An investigation quickly pointed at Salafi groups, Tawhid and Jihad, Army of Islam and others.
A manhunt followed, leading to the killing of a Jordanian citizen, Abbad al-Rahman al-Brizat, and Palestinian refugee, Balal al-Omari. Others were captured, and in September 2011, a trial began.
The trial of Vittorio’s alleged killers has not exactly been a model of transparency. On Sept. 4, a verdict is scheduled to be handed down to four men accused of involvement in the murder. Al-Brizat, the Jordanian man, was perhaps the most important key in the trial. He is gone now, and allegations that his true aim was to exchange Vittorio for an imprisoned Salafi leader, Hisham al-Saedni remain unverified.
Just 11 days before Vittorio’s murder, another activist, Juliano Mer-Khamis, was murdered in Jenin, in the West Bank. The timing of the killings is puzzling and suggests a larger plot. Hamas and other Palestinian officials suggested hidden Israeli hands in both the vile acts, but the thread is yet to be found and unraveled.
Earlier this month, Hamas freed al-Maqdissi -- the man the supposed Jihadists wanted to free -- citing lack of evidence. A few days later, following the murder of Egyptian soldiers in Sinai, it cracked down on his group. The plot here starts to thicken beyond the ability of any straightforward narrative to explain all the missing links.
On Sept. 4, four men will be awaiting the verdict of a Gaza military court. But much more will be on trial that day, not least the credibility of Gaza's legal system. Many questions will need to be answered to truly understand what is transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and who is behind the hidden agendas.
The killing of Vittorio was intended to not only kill him as a person. It was also meant to destroy the very idea that sailed with him and his friends to Gaza in 2008: that ordinary people are history and that they, and only they, will eventually make the difference in a world ruled by sheer interests and military might.
Yes, justice for Vittorio Utopia Arrigoni is paramount, but we expect the Gaza government to hand down more than a verdict, but answers to those trying to kill Vittorio’s dream -- along with our humanity.
Ramzy Baroud is the editor of Palestine Chronicle.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=515711