Meloni fumes over judge's 'shameful' decision to free man accused of inciting violent protests in Italy
A judge in Milan has freed a 30-year-old researcher accused by police of helping orchestrate violent protests in Italy this month, in a ruling that has infuriated Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who denounced the decision as “shameful”.
Youssef Siher, an Italian freelance journalist and geopolitics graduate of Moroccan origin, was detained by Milan prosecutors on 24 October on charges of incitement to commit crimes, aggravated by alleged terrorist purposes.
The case has drawn attention because prosecutors relied on a new offence created under a security decree enacted by Meloni’s government this month as part of its latest law-and-order crackdown.
The newly defined crime carries prison terms of between four and 12 years for organisers of groups that, while taking part in public demonstrations, endanger public safety or cause damage.
Prosecutors had portrayed Siher as a dangerous militant, but Milan judge Tiziana Landoni said in her ruling that the investigation appeared deeply flawed.
“There are no serious grounds for believing that (Siher) committed the offences with which he has been charged, nor is there a risk of flight,” Landoni wrote in her ruling.
Italian police had identified Siher as the administrator of the Telegram group “October 17 Movement”, which was created following violent protests in Milan.
According to the detention order, Siher published what investigators described as “subversive content” and messages calling on protesters to gather on 24 October with the aim of carrying out offences against public order.
Landoni, however, said such comments were posted by other group members, not Siher himself.
“Siher was not found to have encouraged or in any way supported the violent actions advocated by those users,” she wrote.
Siher himself always denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors did not immediately comment, but Meloni was swift to denounce the decision.
“I think this is an unbearable humiliation of the work of the police and investigators,” she said in a video posted on social media.
“I really don’t know how a normal state can defend decent people in the face of these decisions by certain sections of the judiciary,” she added.
