Beating in prison, prosecutor asks for 5 convictions for torture in the second trial

The Reggio Emilia Public Prosecutor's Office has requested that the five prison police officers accused in summary form in the second part of the trial on the beating of a Tunisian prisoner, which took place on 3 April 2023 in prison, be sentenced to four years and six months for complicity in torture. Prosecutor Maria Rita Pantani also asked for the exclusion of generic mitigating circumstances, due to the lack of an apology and for not having made even a symbolic offer to the civil party, as instead happened in the main trial.

In fact, in February 2025 the first trial, again in abbreviated form, for ten officers was concluded: they were all convicted but the hypothesis of torture had been reclassified as the less serious crime of abuse of authority against a competing prisoner. The highest sentence was two years.

In the second tranche, two of the agents already convicted of forgery plus three others are accused: they are defended by the lawyers Nicola Tria, Federico De Belvis, Alessandro Conti, Cosimo Zaccaria. The civil parties are the Tunisian, defended by the lawyer Luca Sebastiani, the Antigone association assisted by the lawyer Simona Filippi, the Yairaiha association, with the lawyer Michele Passione and the regional guarantor of prisoners Roberto Cavalieri. After the pm, the discussion continues with civil parties and defense.