Some 47 activists accused of
clashing with police during protests against a high-speed rail
line were given a total of 140 years in prison Tuesday.
The charges date from protests in the summer of 2011
against the high-speed rail line (TAV) being built in Piedmont's
pristine Susa Valley to connect Italy and France.
Prosecutors had requested a total of 193 years in prison on
charges included bodily harm and battery of a public official in
connection with clashes between protesters and police on June 27
and July 3, 2011.
Another six defendants were acquitted in the trial that
took almost two years.
The sentences were greeted with shouts of "shame" from the
public and defence lawyers said the sentences were excessive.
Gianluca Vitale, one of the defence lawyers, called the
jail terms "absurd and ridiculous" and said there was "a total
lack of evidence".
Other No-TAV activists put up a makeshift roadblock on a
street near the courthouse to show their opposition to the
sentences.
The high-speed rail line, which will eventually connect
Turin to Lyon, has sparked years of protest from locals and
other activists who denounce its high cost and damage to the
environment.
France and Italy argue it will save money and help the
environment in the long run by cutting down on automobile
traffic.
Anna Ronfani, lawyer for the Lyon-Turin railway company
Ltf, said the convictions did not mean restrictions on free
speech by the protestors.
"They were not convicted for their opinions but for the way
they manifested their dissent, which exceeded the boundaries of
what is permissible," said Ronfani.
Meanwhile, in a civil trial related to the protests, the
court ordered 150,000 euros in damages be paid by No-TAV
activists to plaintiffs that include the ministries of
interior, defence, and economy.
The judicial order awarded about half of the total to those
ministries with the remainder divided among the plaintiffs
including Ltf, police unions, and officers injured in the
clashes.
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