Andy Rocchelli. the Italian Supreme Court confirms the acquittal of Vitaly Markiv, the sole person accused

In the court of first instance he was sentenced to 24 years. The Supreme Court confirmed the Court of Appeal ruling which identified a procedural defect. No one was to blame for the photojournalist’s death

OSSIGENO December 9th 2021 – The Italian justice system was unable to determine responsibility for the death of Andy Rocchelli, a photojournalist from Pavia killed by mortar fire on May 24th2014 in Donbass (Ukraine), where he was engaged in documenting the violence against civilians during the armed clashes between government soldiers and pro-Russian separatists.

The Italian Supreme Court confirmed on the 9thDecember 2021 the acquittal as decreed by the Milan Court of Appeal of the Italian-Ukrainian Vitaly Markiv. He was the only defendant.
Vitaly Markiv grew up in Italy. At the end of 2013 he returned to Ukraine and in 2014 he joined the Ukrainian National Guard. On the 12thJuly 2019 the Court of Pavia sentenced him to 24 years imprisonment for complicity in murder. The trial also cited the Ukrainian state.

The conviction was then overturned on November 3rd2020 by the Milan Court of Appeal, for a formal defect in the acquisition of evidence. In the Supreme Court the public prosecutor had asked for the appeal process to be redone. GB