
«On a personal level I feel two conflicting sensations: the first is of great satisfaction because the sentence of the European Court of Human Rights gives us reason after years of battles, bitterness and humiliations. But this satisfaction punches with the tragic reality. I would have preferred to be wrong because it means that my nephew Severino, my sister -in -law Giuseppina and the many people who died from the pollution of the land of fires would now be still here. This is a bitter satisfaction. Our reporting to ECHR dates back to twelve years ago and in all this time we have always continued to believe in justice that has now finally arrived ».
It is the warm, hot comment of Don Maurizio Patricielloparish priest of the Green Park of Caivano, in the Neapolitan, where they are counted 13 drug dealing squares for a business of 100 million euros per yearengaged in the front line in the struggle for the protection of the territory polluted by polluting and radioactive industrial landfills and from 2022 under escort for the threats received from the Camorra.
After many years of mobilization campaigns, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)with a definitive sentence, established that the Italian authorities put the lives of the inhabitants of the Land of firesthe Campania area that extends between the province of Naples and the southwestern area of the province of Caserta, involved in the past decades in the intervention of toxic waste in illegal landfills. The ECHR has condemned Italy which, while recognizing the situation, did not take the necessary measures and established that our country must introduce, without delay general measures capable of adequately facing the phenomenon of the pollution in question. The ECHR has recognized a risk for “sufficiently serious, real and ascertainable life”, which can be qualified as “imminent”. The judges also considered that “there is not enough evidence of a systematic, coordinated and complete response by the authorities in facing the situation of the land of fires”. They also highlighted that progress in evaluating the impact of pollution were slow, when instead he was needed speed and indicated that the state was unable to demonstrate that they have taken all criminal actions necessary to combat the illegal disposal of waste in the ‘area of the land of fires. “Given the amplitude, complexity and severity of the situation,” wrote the ECHR, “a complete and accessible communication strategy was needed, to inform the public in a proactive way about potential or real risks for health and on the actions undertaken to manage these risks. This was not done. Indeed, some information has been covered for long periods from state secret».
Is Don Maurizio, is this sentence for you a revenge?
«No, no revenge. In recent years we have had to deal with denialists at all levels: people who tried to resize our complaints, people who resorted to the mud machine. They slandered us, offended, accused of having ruined the agricultural economy of the territory because the farmers could not sell their tomatoes to him because nobody bought them. They accused us of not loving our land but the opposite is true: precisely because we love our land, we want to defend it from those who have made it and want to continue to make it havoc ».
What did it hurt more?
«That there were the dishonest industrialists who did business with the Camorra to undergo toxic waste was known and well known. What has done to me and hurts me most is the fact that the policy that should keep the health and well -being of citizens at heart has closed their eyes and pretended not to see and not feel while I, so many volunteers are the associations have been ridiculed when we only tried to help. “
Who are the denialists?
“There have been and there are many in politics and institutions. But if we have come to this sentence I have to thank many people who have fought with me. After the sentence of the ECHR, the first message I sent was to Marco Tarquinio (former director of the newspaper Happen and now European MEP, editor’s note) because among the media it was the first to open their eyes and send two envoys that remained here for months to document and find our complaints on the field. The journalistic work of investigation was essential to get to this result. The local church has also done a great job and the bishops from Campania have signed three documents, soliciting politics and institutions to act ».
In recent years, however, many steps have been made.
“Yes. I point out three, all fundamental. The first is law 68 of 22 May 2015 on environmental crimes. Italy did not have an ad hoc rule on this and now it has it. The second is the Laudato yesthe 2015 encyclical of Pope Francis, who once revealed to journalists that he wanted to write it after flying over the land of fires by helicopter. The third is the recognition in February 2021 by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) of the causal link between the pollution of the land of the fires and deaths for cancer that were there, and there are still, in the population. After this, nobody was able to say: “The priest says” but it was the maximum health institution of our country that recognized the direct link between pollution and cancer deaths “.
Now the final sentence of the ECHR.
«It is a very important watershed because nobody, from now on, will be able to minimize, deny, pretend not to know and not hear. January 30, 2025 is a historical date for this battered land. Now the ball passes to national, regional and local institutions. We have had justice but it is a bitter justice, halfway. I think of the people who are gone. Just before she called me, I received the news of the death of a 48 -year -old mother of Orta. There is another 40 -year -old young man who is fighting against the disease. Cancer continues to fault this population. When the doctors offered to make the mortality data available to cancer, the region refused. “
The CDU ruling concerns the appeals of 41 individuals and 5 associations.
«This shows that something good can be done together. Teamwork between church, volunteers, associations, many citizens has been decisive and very important ».
Who made himself heard after the sentence?
«The prefect of Naples immediately called me to express satisfaction and to tell me that he will come here in the next few days. I received a message from the Minister of the Interior planted and by the Minister of Justice Nordio who expressed both solidarity and closeness to me ».
Did the president of the Campania De Luca region call it it?
“No”.