Interlocutory phase in the maxi-trial for the alleged violence in the prison of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which occurred during an extraordinary search on April 6, 2020. There are 105 defendants, including prison officers, managers of the Department of Penitentiary Administration (Dap) and doctors from the Caserta ASL.
With the prosecution's witnesses almost completely exhausted - only the Carabinieri officer Felice Izzo, currently abroad, is missing - the proceedings continue slowly with the last depositions of the civil parties. Attention is now turned to the long-awaited start of the examinations of the defendants, scheduled between the end of June and September, when the heart of the matter will be reached with the most relevant figures among the suspects.
Two former inmates, Besium Valiu and Lucan Marian, who were present in the Nile section (eighth section) of the penitentiary on the day of the search, were heard today. Both of them stated in court that they had been physically hit by the officers, although they were unable to identify them. Marian also said that his beard was shaved against his will.
Significant is the testimony of Besium Valiu, who brought into the picture Salvatore Mezzarano, inspector of the Penitentiary Police, but not to accuse him. On the contrary, Valiu reported that the inspector would have saved him from the violence, protecting him from other unidentified agents.
“He pulled me towards him and said, 'Go away, otherwise they'll kill you here.' He gave me a handkerchief for my nosebleed and always treated me with respect during my detention,” the witness said.
Mezzarano, defended by lawyers Edoardo Razzino and Giuseppe Stellato, is thus described as a protective figure in a dramatic context that has aroused great media and institutional outcry.
The trial remains one of the most complex and delicate in recent Italian justice, a symbol of the difficulties of the penitentiary system and the need to ascertain individual responsibilities in episodes that have profoundly affected public opinion.
Article published on May 26, 2025 - 19:47 pm
