Grasso calls for torture law

(ANSA) - Rome, May 8 - Senate Speaker Pietro Grasso on Monday called on lawmakers to fill a legislative vacuum by passing a specific law on the crime of torture.
    "A parliamentary debate is taking place to finally give Italy a criminal law against torture," Grasso said.
    "It's a prerogative of the political parties and I limit myself to recalling that international law requires that it be banned and that public officials are punished if they cause serious physical or psychological suffering upon people in detention or under their control in order to illegitimately punish them or extort confessions or information". At the presentation of the journal Diritto Penale della Globalizzazione (Criminal Law of Globalization), Grasso said the institutions must listen to experts. "The political world has the difficult responsibility to protect citizens' lives and serenity, while maintaining wisdom and the necessary lucidity to combat crime, atrocities and barbarism with the instruments of the rule of law, democracy and multilateralism," he said. "While doing this job, the institutions must learn to listen with attention and respect to the passionate competence of you scholars and experts".