Alfredo Cospito to remain under the 41-bis regime for a further two years; appeal dismissed
Strict prison conditions have been confirmed for a further two years; the judges have rejected the appeal, and there is a risk that the transfers will resume
Key points
Alfredo Cospitoremainsunder Article 41-bis. The Rome Supervisory Court has confirmed strict detention for a further two years. The judges in Rome rejected the appeal lodged by the defence against the extension of the 41-bis regime ordered by the Ministry of Justice, confirming the renewal of the measure for a further two years. The anarchist, who is being held in Sassari prison, has been subject to the special regime since 2022. The appeal challenged the grounds underlying the ministerial decree by which the extension of the special regime had been ordered.
The reasons
However, the judges considered the assessments contained in the 75-page ruling to be well-founded; the ruling refers to the favourable opinions of the National Anti-Mafia Directorate, the Turin District Anti-Mafia Directorate and the Central Directorate of Preventive Police at the Ministry of the Interior. According to the investigators, Cospito continues to represent a point of reference for a section of the insurrectionist anarchist movement, which is still considered active and potentially capable of affecting public order and national security.
The risk of a resumption of services
A possible return to a standard detention regime – as stated in the grounds – could allow the resumption of contacts and the exchange of information with groups considered to be subversive. Among the elements highlighted in the decree is also the incident that took place on 19 March in the Parco degli Acquedotti in Rome, where Sandro Mercogliano and Sara Ardizzone lost their lives whilst handling an explosive device inside an abandoned building. For the investigators, that incident represents further confirmation of the existence of anarchist cells that are still active and radicalised.
A version of events rejected by the defence. According to lawyer Rossi Albertini, the most recent attacks claimed by the Informal Anarchist Federation date back to the period 2022–2023 and, since then, no further incidents attributable to the same organisation have come to light. The lawyer also pointed out that neither Mercogliano nor Ardizzone had any links with the FAI. The former had been acquitted of the charge of membership of the organisation in the ‘Scripta Manent’ trial in Turin, whilst the latter had been acquitted in the ‘Sibilla’ investigation by the Perugia Public Prosecutor’s Office into the anarchist magazine ‘Vetriolo’.
Among the defence’s objections is also the reference, in the grounds for the renewal of the 41 bis measure, to proceedings in whichthe charge of criminal association for the purpose of terrorism was subsequently dropped, as in the ‘Vetriolo’ investigation and the ‘Byalistok’ operation of 2020, which involved a number of regulars at the Bencivenga social centre in Rome. Despite the charges, investigators believe that Cospito retains a leading role within anarchist circles and may still be able to pass on instructions to the outside world even whilst in prison. The grounds for the decree also highlight the risk that the prisoner may maintain a flow of information through authorised visits with his sister, a circumstance deemed sufficient to justify the continuation of the strict prison regime.
