Hunger striking anarchist leader
Alfredo Cospito is mulling an appeal to the European Court of
Human Rights (ECHR) after Italy's top court on Friday rejected
his plea to be released from the tough 41 bis prison regime he
is being subjected to and which is normally just reserved for
mafia bosses, his lawyers said Tuesday.
The Cassation Court on Friday ruled that Cospito, 55, who has
been on hunger strike and lost 50 kg in the last four and a half
months, could still run anarchist operations from prison if he
were returned to normal or even high-security custody.
Cospito, head of the Informal Anarchists Federation (FAI), has
vowed to press on "to the end" with his campaign to have the 41
bis lifted for all inmates including mafiosi, while anarchists
have pledged a campaign of violence after the Cassation ruling.
Judicial sources said Monday that the justice ministry will be
paying the utmost attention to Cospito's state of health.
He recently resumed taking supplements as the Cassation was
expected to rule in his favour, but has dropped them again and
has also given up sugar.
His doctor said at the weekend he was "gravely malnourished"
amid fears for his heart.
On Monday Cospito was transferred back to Milan's Opera prison,
to the Integrated Care Service there.
The anarchist had been in the San Paolo hospital in Milan for
several days due to his health condition.
Cospito, who was recently moved from Sardinia to the Milan
prison where medical facilities are better, is serving 20 years
for a bomb attack on a Carabinieri police training academy at
Fossano near Cuneo in Piedmont in 2006 and a further 10 years
and eight months for kneecapping Ansaldo Nucleare Managing
Director Roberto Adinolfi in Genoa in 2012.
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