Cesare Battisti (terrorist)
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Cesare Battisti (born 18 December 1954) is an Italian former member of the terrorist group
Armed Proletarians for Communism Armed Proletarians for Communism (Italian ''Proletari Armati per il Comunismo'' or PAC) was an Italian far-left terrorist group founded in 1976 and disbanded three years later, during the " Years of Lead". History Armed Proletarians for Communis ...
(PAC), who is currently imprisoned after years on the run. PAC was a
far-left Far-left politics, also known as extreme left politics or left-wing extremism, are politics further to the left on the left–right political spectrum than the standard political left. The term does not have a single, coherent definition; some ...
militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Lat ...
group active in Italy in the late 1970s during the period known as the " Years of Lead". Battisti was sentenced to life imprisonment in Italy for four homicides (two policemen, a jeweller and a butcher). He fled first to France in 1981, where he received protection under the Mitterrand doctrine. Battisti was tried ''in absentia'' and sentenced to 12 years for being a member of an armed group and for the material killing of two people and instigating another two homicides, based on testimony from Pietro Mutti. He was sentenced to
life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...
in 1995. After the '' de facto'' repeal of the Mitterrand doctrine in 2002, Battisti fled to Brazil under a false identity to avoid a possible extradition, where he lived as a free man until an order of extradition issued in December 2018. He then fled to Santa Cruz in
Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, where he was arrested in 2019 by an Italian team of
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
officers and extradited to Italy. He is also a
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
author, having written 15 novels.


Youth and PAC membership

Cesare Battisti was born in 1954 at
Cisterna di Latina Cisterna di Latina is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Latina in Lazio, of central Italy. It was the scene of the Battle of Cisterna in January 1944. The Garden of Ninfa is located in the commune's territory. The town, then known as ''T ...
, near Latina. He left the
classical lyceum The ''liceo classico'' or ''ginnasio'' () is the oldest public secondary school type in Italy. Its educational curriculum spans over five years, when students are generally about 14 to 19 years of age. Until 1969, this was the only secondar ...
he was attending in 1971, engaged in petty crime, and then moved on to more serious offenses. In 1976, he moved to
Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, and took part in the activities of the
Armed Proletarians for Communism Armed Proletarians for Communism (Italian ''Proletari Armati per il Comunismo'' or PAC) was an Italian far-left terrorist group founded in 1976 and disbanded three years later, during the " Years of Lead". History Armed Proletarians for Communis ...
(PAC), an autonomist Marxist group which conducted armed struggle, and which had a "horizontal", decentralized structure, opposed to the centralist organization of the
Red Brigades The Red Brigades ( , often abbreviated BR) were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978, ...
(BR). The organization, which counted approximately 60 members, had its roots in Barona, a district in the south of Milan. Four assassinations were committed by the PAC: Antonio Santoro, a prison guard accused by the PAC of mistreatment of prisoners (on 6 June 1978 in
Udine Udine ( ; ; ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northeastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Carnic Alps. It is the capital of the Province of Udine, Regional decentralization entity ...
); jeweler Pierluigi Torregiani, who had shot and killed a robber in an act of self-defense (on 16 February 1979 in Milan); Lino Sabbadin, a butcher and member of the neo-fascist
Italian Social Movement The Italian Social Movement (, MSI) was a neo-fascist political party in Italy. A far-right party, it presented itself until the 1990s as the defender of Italian fascism's legacy, and later moved towards national conservatism. In 1972, the Itali ...
(on the same date, near
Mestre Mestre () is a borough of the comune of Venice on the mainland opposite the historical island city in the region of Veneto, Italy. Administratively, Mestre forms (together with the nearby Carpenedo) the Municipalità di Mestre-Carpenedo, one ...
); and
DIGOS Digos, officially the City of Digos (; ), is a component city and capital of the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 188,376 people. The city lies on the western shores of Davao Gul ...
agent Andrea Campagna, who had participated in the first arrests in the Torregiani case (on 19 April 1979 in Milan). The PAC also engaged in several robberies. The murder of Torregiani and Sabbadin had been decided upon by the PAC because both of them had previously killed left-wing militants. Torregiani was killed in revenge in front of his 13-year-old son, who was also accidentally shot by his father.
Valerio Evangelisti Valerio Evangelisti (20 June 1952 – 18 April 2022) was an Italian writer of science fiction, fantasy, historical novels, and horror. He is known mainly for his series of novels featuring the inquisitor Nicolas Eymerich and for the Nostradamu ...

''Valerio Evangelisti répond à 50 questions''
The son was left
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...
and considers Battisti to be responsible for the shooting. "It's not about the person of Cesare Battisti," he declared to the national press agency ANSA, "It's in order that everyone understands that, sooner or later, those who have committed such serious crimes should pay for their faults."


First trial and escape

Cesare Battisti was arrested and jailed in Italy on 26 February 1979, then sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for participation in an "armed group" ("partecipazione a banda armata"). He was sentenced on the grounds of material evidence and
testimony Testimony is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. Etymology The words "testimony" and "testify" both derive from the Latin word ''testis'', referring to the notion of a disinterested third-party witness. Law In the law, testimon ...
provided by two "''
collaboratori di giustizia ''Pentito'' (; lit. "repentant"; plural: ''pentiti'') is used colloquially to designate collaborators of justice in Italian criminal procedure terminology who were formerly part of criminal organizations and decided to collaborate with a public ...
''" (defendants who testified against their former accomplice) who benefitted from lighter sentences for their testimony.Cesare Battisti: dire la vérité, respecter les droits
, Human Rights League (LDH), public statement of 17 March 2007
The status of "collaboratore di giustizia", also popularly known as ''pentito'', was established by anti-terrorist legislation enacted during this period. PAC militants organised Battisti's escape on 4 October 1981, from
Frosinone Frosinone (; local dialect: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lazio, administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is about southeast of Rome, close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of th ...
prison. He fled to
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
and then Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico, very shortly afterwards. While in Mexico, he founded a literary review, ''Via Libre'', which is still active. He also participated in the creation of the Book Festival of
Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...
,
Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
, and organised the first Graphic Arts Biennal in Mexico. Battisti began to write at the suggestion of Paco Ignacio Taibo II and collaborated with various newspapers.


Second trial

Pietro Mutti, one of the leaders of the PAC who had been sentenced ''
in absentia ''In Absentia'' is the seventh studio album by British progressive rock band Porcupine Tree, first released on 24 September 2002. The album marked several changes for the band, with it being the first with new drummer Gavin Harrison and the f ...
'' for the assassination of the prison guard Santoro, was arrested in 1982. He sought the status of ''collaboratore di giustizia'' and his testimony, which helped him reduce his sentence, implicated Battisti and an accomplice in the four assassinations claimed by the PAC. Battisti's trial was thus reopened in 1987, and he was sentenced ''in absentia'' in 1988 for two assassinations (Santoro and DIGOS agent Campagna) and complicity in murder in the two others (jeweler Torregiani and butcher Sabbadin). The court sentenced him in 1995, on appeal, to a life-sentence. Two years earlier, the
Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...
had quashed, on procedural grounds, the case against Battisti's accomplice, who had also been accused by Pietro Mutti.


Return to France

In 1985, the
Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
President of France
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
had indicated that "leftist Italian activists who were not indicted for violent crimes and had given up terrorist activity would not be
extradited In an extradition, one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisdic ...
to Italy"; this became known as the " Mitterrand doctrine". Many Italian political activists had fled to France during the 1970s-1980s. Trusting in this declaration, Battisti returned to France in 1990, where he was arrested at Italy's request in 1991, when his sentence was confirmed in the Court of Cassation. He thus passed five months in Fresnes prison and then was freed after the extradition request was rejected by the Paris Appeal Court on 29 May 1991. French justice concluded that the anti-terrorist legislation enacted in Italy "went against the French principles of law," which, along with the
European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...
(ECtHR), prohibited in particular extradition of a person sentenced ''in absentia'' if that person had not been in a condition to adequately defend himself during his trial. The court also declared the evidence against Battisti as "contradictory" and "worthy of a military justice." After his release in 1991, Battisti lived in Paris, where he wrote his first novel, ''Les Habits d'ombre'' ("The shadow clothes"). Two thrillers, ''L'Ombre rouge'' ("The red shadow") and ''Buena onda'' ("Good wave"), took as their setting and backdrop the Parisian world of Italian fugitives from justice. Another major novel, titled ''Dernières cartouches'' ("Last bullets"), takes place in Italy during the "years of lead". In 1997, jointly with other left-wing Italians who had fled to France and were accused of taking part in violent crimes, he asked the
President of Italy The president of Italy, officially titled President of the Italian Republic (), is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity and guarantees that Politics of Italy, Italian politics comply with the Consti ...
at the time,
Oscar Luigi Scalfaro Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (; 9 September 1918 – 29 January 2012) was an Italian politician who served as President of Italy from 1992 to 1999. A member of Christian Democracy (DC), he became an independent politician after the DC's dissolution in 1 ...
( DC), for
amnesty Amnesty () is defined as "A pardon extended by the government to a group or class of people, usually for a political offense; the act of a sovereign power officially forgiving certain classes of people who are subject to trial but have not yet be ...
without success.


Arrest in France

On 10 February 2004, the French government arrested Battisti at Italy's request and planned to extradite him to Italy. On 30 June 2004, the Paris Court of Appeal approved his extradition. An appeal to the
Court of Cassation A court of cassation is a high-instance court that exists in some judicial systems. Courts of cassation do not re-examine the facts of a case; they only interpret the relevant law. In this, they are appellate courts of the highest instance. In ...
was filed against this opinion and another to the ''
Conseil d'État In France, the (; Council of State) is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser to the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice, which is one of the two branches of the French judiciary system. Establ ...
'' against the extradition
decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...
. President
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
stated on 2 July 2004 that he would not oppose the French justice system's decision to extradite him. Perben confirmed Paris' new position: "There is no ambiguity. There has been a change of attitude from France, and I support it", (in reference to the "Mitterrand doctrine"), among other reasons "because of the European construction".Richard Mallié, deputy of the Bouches-du-Rhône, ''Question au gouvernement: Extradition de Cesare Battisti'', 26 October 2004
Clarisse Vernhes, « Paris prête à extrader d’autres «brigadistes»
in '' RFI'', 2002
As of 2007, only Paolo Persichetti, former member of the '' Unità Comuniste Combattenti'', among the 200 Italians involved in Court cases dealing with political violence requested by Italy, had been extradited (in August 2002). He was eventually sentenced to 22 years in prison. Minister Edouard Balladur signed Persichetti's extradition decree in 1994; it was validated by the '' Conseil d'Etat'' the following year. According to RFI radio station, the Perben-Castelli agreement was divided in three parts: all events before 1982 would be prescribed "except in case of exceptional gravity"; facts between 1982 and 1993 would be "examined on a case-by-case basis", in function of the
European Convention of Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is a supranational convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by the ...
(ECHR) principle and of the "conditions in which the trials took place in Italy". Still claiming innocence, Cesare Battisti failed to check in at the local police station while on parole, and went underground on 21 August 2004. On 18 March 2005, the French Conseil d'Etat (the French Supreme Court in administrative law), ruling ultimately for Battisti's extradition, affirmed clearly that the Italian legislation did not conflict with the French principles of law. The Conseil established that: In July 2005, the Italian press revealed the existence of the Department of Anti-terrorism Strategic Studies (DSSA), a "parallel police" created by Gaetano Saya, leader of '' New Italian Social Movement'' neofascist party, and Riccardo Sindoca, two leaders of the National Union of the Police Forces (''Unpf''). Both claimed they were former members of
Gladio Operation Gladio was the codename for clandestine "stay-behind" operations of armed resistance that were organized by the Western Union (WU; founded in 1948), and subsequently by NATO (formed in 1949) and by the CIA (established in 1947), in c ...
, NATO's "stay-behind" paramilitary organization involved in Italy's
strategy of tension A strategy of tension () is a political policy where violent struggle is encouraged rather than suppressed. The purpose is to create a general feeling of insecurity in the population and make people seek security in a strong government. The str ...
and various alleged activist acts. According to ''
Il Messaggero ''Il Messaggero'' (English: "The Messenger") is an Italian Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper based in Rome, Italy. It has been in circulation since 1878. It is one of the main national newspapers in Italy. History and profile ''Il Messaggero'' ...
'', quoted by ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', judicial sources declared that wiretaps suggested DSSA members had been planning to kidnap Cesare Battisti. On 5 February 2005, the European Parliament adopted a resolution in which it expressed its trust "that the re-examination of the decision on the extradition of Cesare Battisti will take into account the judgment delivered by an EU Member State in full compliance with the principle of the rule of law in the European Union". The
European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The court hears applications alleging that a co ...
(ECtHR), in its December 2006 decision, rejected Battisti's claim that France's extradition decision was illegitimate. The Court stated:
The applicant had patently been informed of the accusation against him and of the progress of the proceedings before the Italian courts, notwithstanding the fact that he had absconded. Furthermore, the applicant, who had deliberately chosen to remain on the run after escaping from prison, had received effective assistance during the proceedings from several lawyers specially appointed by him. Hence, the Italian and subsequently the French authorities had been entitled to conclude that the applicant had unequivocally waived his right to appear and be tried in person. The French authorities had therefore taken due account of all the circumstances of the case and of the Court's case-law in granting the extradition request made by the Italian authorities: manifestly ill-founded.


Arrest and asylum in Brazil

Battisti was arrested in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
on 18 March 2007 by Brazilian and French police officers. Later, the Brazilian Minister of Justice Tarso Genro granted him the status of
political refugee The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, such as a second country or another enti ...
, in a controversial decision which was much criticized in Italy, even in Brazil and the international press.Centro de Mídia Independente, 14 January 2009
''Cesare Battisti conquista condição de refugiado político''
On 5 February 2009, the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
adopted a resolution in support of Italy and held a minute of silence in memory to Battisti's victims. On 18 November 2009, the Brazilian Supreme Court considered the refugee status illegal and allowed
extradition In an extradition, one Jurisdiction (area), jurisdiction delivers a person Suspect, accused or Conviction, convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, into the custody of the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforc ...
, but also stated that the Brazilian constitution gives the president personal powers to deny the extradition if he chooses to, effectively putting the final decision in the hands of Brazilian President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
. On 31 December 2010, on Lula's last effective day as president, the decision not to allow extradition was officially announced. Battisti was released on 9 June 2011 from
prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...
after the Brazilian Constitutional Court denied Italy's request to extradite him. Italy planned to appeal to the
International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
in The Hague. In March 2015 a federal judge ruled null and void the decision to grant him a permanency visa as it would conflict with Brazilian law, ordering his deportation. On 14 September, the sixth section of the Regional Federal Courts of the First Region (seated in Brasília) declared the deportation of Battisti illegal. In December 2018, Brazilian President
Michel Temer Michel Miguel Elias Temer Lulia (; born 23 September 1940) is a Brazilian politician, lawyer and writer who served as the 37th president of Brazil from 31 August 2016 to 1 January 2019. He took office after the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impe ...
signed the order to extradite Battisti after the Brazilian Supreme Court ordered his arrest. He fled justice after this and escaped to Bolivia, where he was finally arrested on 12 January 2019. He was extradited to Italy the day after, where he is currently serving a sentence of life imprisonment. After Brazil granted him refugee status through a decision of its Minister of Justice Tarso Genro. Battisti's request for asylum was first denied by the National Committee for Refugees, in a decision taken by simple majority. His defense appealed to the Minister of Justice, who granted in January 2009 refugee status, a decision which divided Brazilian public opinion. Italian President
Giorgio Napolitano Giorgio Napolitano (; 29 June 1925 – 22 September 2023) was an Italian politician who served as President of Italy from 2006 to 2015, the first to be re-elected to the office. In office for 8 years and 244 days, he was the longest-serving pre ...
wrote to Brazilian President
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...
, informing him of the "emotion and understandable reactions" raised in his country, in public opinion and among political forces by this "grave decision". Italian Justice Minister, Angelino Alfano, has asked Brazilian authorities to reconsider this decision "in the light of international cooperation against terrorism". Lula answered Napolitano, mentioning that Genro's decision is founded on the Brazilian constitution and on the UN 1951 Convention on Refugee Status and is an act of sovereignty of Brazil. Criticism was also based on speculations about the influence exerted by
Carla Bruni Carla Bruni-Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (born Carla Gilberta Bruni Tedeschi; ; 23 December 1967) is an Italian and French singer, songwriter and fashion model who served as the List of spouses or partners of the president of France, first lady of Fran ...
, spouse of the French President
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
, on Genro's decision. Brazilian Senator Eduardo Suplicy attested to ''
Corriere della Sera (; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'' that Bruni herself asked Lula to refuge Battisti. Bruni denied this claim on a
RAI (), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
interview as she expressed her condolences with the families of Battisti's victims. On 29 December 2010, unofficial reports in Italy and Brazil said President Lula was about to announce he was denying extradition of Battisti, just three days short before the end of his presidential term. The official announcement did take place on 31 December, hours before the end of Lula's time in office. On 8 June 2011, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that Lula's decision is final. Italian authorities announced their intention to appeal to the
International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
saying Brazil breached an extradition treaty. In March 2015, a federal judge ruled null and void a decision to grant him a permanent visa as this would conflict with Brazilian law, and ordered his deportation. The judge stressed that the deportation should not be confused with extradition, as it does not require that Battisti be surrendered to Italy, but rather to the country from which he entered Brazil, or any other country that will agree to receive him. In June 2015, Battisti married Joice Lima, a Brazilian citizen.


Extradition to Italy

On 12 January 2019, Battisti was arrested by an Italian team of
Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...
officers in Santa Cruz de La Sierra, Bolivia, and returned to Italy to start serving his sentence. On 25 March 2019, Battisti acknowledged his responsibilities in the crimes attributed to him, pleading guilty. He was imprisoned in the Costantino Satta Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison of
Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...
; however, in 2022 he was transferred to a regular penitentiary in
Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
. The transferring was strongly criticized by the
centre-right coalition The centre-right coalition () is a political alliance of political parties in Italy active under several forms and names since 1994, when Silvio Berlusconi entered politics and formed the party. It has mostly competed with the centre-left c ...
(particularly the right-wing to far-right League and
Brothers of Italy Brothers of Italy (, FdI) is a National conservatism, national-conservative and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist political party in Italy, that is currently the country's ruling party. After becoming the largest party in the 2022 Ita ...
) and by the families of Battisti's victims.


Public opinion

Until 25 March 2019, Cesare Battisti denied having committed any of the murders he had been sentenced for; on that date he admitted to the chief prosecutor of Milan (Francesco Greco) involvement in four killings. The circumstances of his sentence have been questioned. A movement claiming Battisti's innocence is active in the media and in public opinion (especially in France and Italy). Among the most vocal supporters of Battisti are the writers Fred Vargas,
Valerio Evangelisti Valerio Evangelisti (20 June 1952 – 18 April 2022) was an Italian writer of science fiction, fantasy, historical novels, and horror. He is known mainly for his series of novels featuring the inquisitor Nicolas Eymerich and for the Nostradamu ...
and
Bernard-Henri Lévy Bernard-Henri Georges Lévy (; ; born 5 November 1948) is a French public intellectual. Often referred to in France simply as BHL, he was one of the leaders of the " Nouveaux Philosophes" (New Philosophers) movement in 1976. His opinions, politi ...
. They consider that the trials conducted in Italy were marked by irregularities. These alleged irregularities involved the use of
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
(Battisti's French lawyers have not used this peculiar charge, the violation of article 3 ECHR, in their rejected claim to ECtHR), and the misuse of
witnesses In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...
: according to Battisti's supporters, witnesses against Battisti were either affected by mental troubles, or were ''collaboratori di giustizia'' (that is, defendants testifying against other defendants in order to benefit from a reduced sentence. Those peculiar witnesses are also used by French justice, i.e. art. 132–78 French ''Code pénal''). Battisti's supporters also claim that ballistic analysis and graphological expertises used in Italian court cases do in fact exonerate Battisti, contrary to what the courts considered. Fred Vargas
« Cesare Battisti: A la recherche de la justice perdue »
in ''La Règle du Jeu'', n°30 (January 2006)
Cesare Battisti, ''Ma Cavale'', 27 April 2006, Preface p. 13 Most of public opinion in Italy disagrees with those views, and Battisti's arrest in Brazil has been commented upon favourably in the media. Rifondazione Comunista, however, claims that he should not be extradited, as he would not be granted the right to a new trial. In France, supporters of Battisti, such as Gilles Perrault, have called the 2007 arrest, a few weeks before the April 2007 presidential election, an "electoral feat", closely timed by the then Interior Minister
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
, candidate for the UMP conservative party.
François Bayrou François René Jean Lucien Bayrou (; born 25 May 1951) is a French politician who has served as Prime Minister of France since December 2024. He has presided over the European Democratic Party (EDP) since 2004 and the Democratic Movement (France ...
, candidate for the UDF right-of-center party, has called for a new trial, as have members of the left-wing. Defenders of Battisti, among whom the Human Rights League (LDH), consider that France's decision to extradite Battisti was illegal, since Battisti would not have the right to a new trial after having been judged ''in absentia''. The right to a new trial is not a sufficient guarantee for the defendant, as clearly ruled by the ECHR in the case of ''Krombach v. France'', application no. 29731/96; and also article 6 of ECHR, the juridical ground of Battisti's claim against extradition, doesn't prescribe a new trial. ECHR establishes that there is not an absolute right to a new trial after a trial in absentia. Battisti's claim concerned the defendant's knowledge of the trial, and Battisti's lawyers argued that the defendant had not been in a position to know that in Italy there was a trial against him, and therefore his rights had been violated. The ''
Union syndicale des magistrats The Union syndicale des magistrats, commonly abbreviated as USM, is the French largest (and majoritarian) magistrates trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an ...
'' (USM, the largest trade union of French judges) has supported the fairness of the Italian trial in absentia and has also confirmed the legality of Battisti's sentence.Communiqué USM Affaire Battisti in


References


Bibliography

* ''Travestito da uomo'' (French title: ''Les habits d'ombre'') * ''Nouvel an, nouvelle vie'' (1994) * ''L'ombre rouge'' (Italian title: ''L'orma rossa''; 1995) * ''Buena onda'' (1996) * ''Copier coller'' (1997) * ''J'aurai ta Pau'' (1997) * ''L'ultimo sparo'' (French title: ''Dernières cartouches''; 1998) * ''Naples'' (1999, short story anthology with works also by Jean-Jacques Busino,
Carlo Lucarelli Carlo Lucarelli (born 26 October 1960) is an Italian crime-writer, TV presenter, and magazine editor. In 2003, his novel ''Almost Blue'' was shortlisted for the Gold Dagger award given by the Crime Writers' Association. Early life Lucarelli wa ...
,
Jean-Bernard Pouy Jean-Bernard is a French masculine given name. It may refer to : * Jean-Bernard Gauthier de Murnan (1748–1796), a French officer for the Continental Army * Jean-Bernard Knepper (1638–1698), a Luxembourg advocat and notary * Jean-Bernard Ndongo E ...
and Tito Topin) * ''Jamais plus sans fusil'' (2000) * ''Terres brûlées'' (2000, editor) * ''Avenida Revolución'' (2001) * ''Le Cargo sentimental'' (2003) * ''Vittoria'' (2003) * ''L'eau du diamant'' (2006) * ''Ma cavale'' (2006)


External links


Audio interview of Battisti, by Isabelle Sommier
11 February 2004, ''
France Inter France Inter () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is the successor to Paris Inter, later known as France I, and created as a merger of the France I and France II networks, first as RTF Inter in October 1963, then ren ...
'' on Daniel Mermet's show {{DEFAULTSORT:Battisti, Cesare 1954 births 20th-century Italian criminals 20th-century Italian male writers 20th-century Italian novelists 21st-century Italian novelists Anti-revisionists Autonomism Brazil–Italy relations Communist terrorism Foreign nationals imprisoned in Brazil France–Italy relations Fugitives wanted on terrorism charges Italian assassins Italian communists Italian exiles Italian expatriates in Brazil Italian people convicted of murder Italian people imprisoned abroad Italian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment Living people People convicted in absentia People extradited from Brazil People from Cisterna di Latina Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Italy Terrorism in Italy Urban warfare Workerism