Why Giorgia Meloni, Salvini and all of us should see this Rai documentary
There are programs on TV that now belong to our history. One of these is “Un giorno in pretura” which since 18 January 1988, with Roberta Petrelluzzi, has regularly chronicled Italy on Raitre through its most famous judicial cases. One of the episodes of the new season is entitled “Who saves a life, saves the world” and you can watch it again on RaiPlay. Thanks to the intense narrative reconstruction by Tommi Liberti and Antonella Nafra, it has the power of a documentary: it tells the story of the trial born from a long journalistic investigation of which uisjournal.com has published the latest episodes (you can find them at the bottom of this article, with the link to the RaiPlay documentary).
“Whoever saves life, saves the world” are the words pronounced in the courtroom of the Court of Rome by one of the offended parties: a survivor who, adrift swimming in the Mediterranean sea, turns the body of a child upside down in the ‘waterfall. And with a strong massage of the abdomen, it restores his breathing.
“A day in the magistrate’s court” dedicated to the shipwreck of children
The story dates back to one of the largest disasters in the Mediterranean, the shipwreck of the children, which occurred on Friday 11 October 2013: 268 people drowned, including 60 minors, and 212 saved in a rescue operation, started with a guilty delay due to a pass the buck of responsibility between Italy and Malta.
For the first time victims, survivors, witnesses and rescuers are faced with the facts. With their faces, their voices and the moments of silence when the emotion chokes the breath in the throat.
Thus Italy risks spending millions in compensation
Accused in the trial, because they were on duty that day, are the then commander of the operations center of the Italian Coast Guard and the colleague head of the current operations section of the Naval Squadron Command of the Navy: both found guilty of multiple manslaughter and refusal of official acts, but saved by the declaration of not having to proceed for the statute of limitations of the crimes. A sentence confirmed on appeal, which however exposes the Italian state to millions in compensation for the 268 victims. We therefore do not publish their names, recognizing their merciful right to be forgotten. Also because any of us could find ourselves in their place, at any moment in our lives, who have thought that help is not an obligatory gesture.
This documentary is also a moment of redemption of fundamental tools of our democracy: the duty of testimony, free journalism, the absolute impartiality of the judges of the second criminal section of the Court of Rome, presided over by Anna Maria Pazienza, who took their decision in total contrast with the requests of the Prosecutor’s Office.
“He who saves a life, saves the world” must be seen in school
“Whoever gets on that boat has no chance,” Alessandra Ballerini, one of the lawyers for the victims’ families, recalled at the hearing. With her defensive investigation she managed to prevent two prosecutors from dismissing the investigation. “They were doctors – concludes the lawyer Ballerini – they had passports, they had money. But he was not granted a visa.”
So Italy let my children drown – by Mazen Dahhan
It would be nice if the Minister of Education, Giuseppe Valditara, recommended viewing this excellent work of our public service in high schools. And maybe already from the eighth grade. It would be extraordinary if Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini organized a collective screening for the entire Council of Ministers (an invitation that should be extended to the European Commission and all European governments). And it would certainly be useful to the world if each of us dedicated 76 minutes of our lives to this extraordinary document. Fortunately, not all of us think the same way. But ignorance – understood as not knowing the facts – is a serious fault if we then decide, act and govern guided by the same ignorance. As probably happened on that tragic October 11th (the publication of the photos accompanying this article was authorized by Mazen Dahhan, father of Mohamed, 8, Tarek, 4, and Besher, 1, lost at sea with their mother after the shipwreck of 11 October 2013 – reproduction prohibited).
All articles and videos about children’s shipwreck
VIDEO – Watch “He who saves a life, saves the world” on RaiPlay
Read the other opinions on uisjournal.com