Legal Aid. Carlo D’Adamo: I am grateful to Ossigeno who helped me obtain justice

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OSSIGENO May 8, 2021 – The blogger from San Giovanni in Persiceto (Bologna) sent this message after being acquitted on appeal (read) in the libel trial filed against him by an entrepreneur for articles on the illegal disposal of toxic waste

BY CARLO D’ADAMO – I want to thank Ossigeno per l’Informazione the only association that has continually given me full solidarity and moral support, even after sentencing in the first degree. I am grateful to Ossigeno for supporting the legal costs of my case during the first degree of trial and for putting me in contact with the lawyer Andrea Di Pietro, whom I want to publicly thank for the professionalism, commitment and passion he has displayed in defending me in the Bologna trial against the accusation of defamation, in the lawsuit filed by Mr. Luca Razzaboni against me.

The Court of Appeal has established that I did my investigative work well. Those facts, which I and many other journalists publicised to inform public opinion, gave rise to numerous articles in the local and national press; newspapers of every political orientation and authoritative journalists intervened on several occasions.

The reaction of Mr. Razzaboni, who was not used to losing, was to report me for libel. According to him, I had damaged his image and reputation. The disturbing thing is that in the first instance the judge subscribed to his point of view, and instead of dismissing the accusation, which had no honest basis, he sentenced me. It even happened later that, despite having established that I had not told falsehoods, the Public Prosecutor requested for me the penalties provided for by the Rocco code which penalized the right to criticize: i.e., a sentence of 8 months in prison with extenuating circumstances, commuted to a fine, with the benefit of non-registration in the criminal record and suspension of the sentence.

The task of my defence counsel, in this context, was really difficult.

But luckily on April 1st the three appeal judges who did not allow themselves to be confused by the environmental context, issued on that same day, without doubting for a moment our good arguments, an acquittal and annulled the sentence at first instance: a sign that the facts were evident and very clear. While waiting to learn the reasoning behind the judgement I thank you from my heart.

Carlo D’Adamo