WITNESS OF JUSTICE ON HUNGER STRIKE TO DEMAND COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAWS: ITALIAN INSTITUTIONS INTERVENE FOR ANGELO NICETA AND HIS FAMILY
To Italy’s Prime Minister On. Giorgia Meloni
To Italy’s Minister of the Interior Pref. Matteo Piantedosi
To Italy’s Undersecretary for the Interior, On. Nicola Molteni
Mr Angelo Niceta is a former Sicilian businessman who became a Witness of Justice, protected by Italian State in a restricted location. Since 4th April 2022 he has been on hunger strike to the bitter end, forced by a dramatic situation, unable to provide for the basic necessities of his family. He demands respect for the law and an explanation for the serious and multiple anomalies that have occurred since he was under protection.
Previously, starting from November 19, 2022 to December 11, 2022, he had led a hunger strike lasting forty-two days, causing him loss of thirty kilos and liver damage.
Mr Niceta was forced into this form of non-violent protest because the monthly allowance paid by the State was already totally inadequate for the maintenance of his household of six people, including four adults. Moreover, he did not receive any reimbursements, even for the medical expenses and school fees. Inexplicable anomalies which had occurred since the protection program had begun, had further worsened the family's economic situation and the health condition of his wife, Rosalba.
In addition, Mr Angelo Niceta complained that the monthly amount provided by the State for the maintenance had not been adjusted since 2019, as required by law, taking into account the Istat statistics on the annual increase in the cost of living.
Coinciding with the suspension of the hunger strike, on January 24, 2023 MPs Stefania Ascari, Gaetano Amato and Emma Pavanelli submitted parliamentary question 4-00218 (the text of which can be read at this link). So far, no solution is provided, no answer has been given to the parliamentary question, promoted by the M5S party and addressed to the Italian Minister of the Interior.
THE SITUATION OF MR ANGELO NICETA AND HIS FAMILY HAS EVEN WORSENED. At the end of March 2023, although he lives with his wife and their four children, in a building granted for use by the Ministry of the Interior, the current bills were substantially three times the amount of all the previous ones, almost two thousand euros. The previous electricity and gas contracts which were still valid had been cancelled, and in their place, two new contracts had been signed, without informing him in advance, their price tripled, applying the highest tariff in Italy.
As a result, the already inadequate monthly payment for the maintenance of this family is not sufficient to pay the bills. Will Angelo Niceta and his family soon be left in the dark and without gas? Moreover, further reimbursements due to Angelo Niceta have accrued in the meantime, and have not yet been paid to him.
For those who are not aware of this, let us briefly review the history of his cooperation with justice.
In December 2013, an important textile entrepreneur from Palermo Angelo Niceta made spontaneous statements to the judicial authorities.
Following his statements, recognizing a serious danger to the safety of Angelo and his relatives, the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office requested, in the persons of the then public prosecutors Antonino Di Matteo and Pierangelo Padova, the inclusion of Angelo and his family in the special protection measures program of the italian Ministry of the Interior reserved for Witnesses of Justice and his immediate transfer to a protected location.
Inexplicably, when he was already in a protected place, Angelo was informed, without ever having been given the reasons for this decision, that the Central Commission of the Ministry of the Interior, then chaired by the undersecretary Filippo Bubbico, had placed him in the protection program as a Collaborator of Justice. Mr Niceta formally asked the Ministry of the Interior for the reasons for this anomalous decision and the only answer was that the decision of the Parliamentary Commission could not be handed over to it because it was covered by State secret.
Mr Niceta was extraneous to the mafia association, actually he was destroyed by the mafia, he has a clean record, and his statements were not aimed at obtaining trial advantages. Mr Angelo Niceta decided not to accept the status of collaborator of justice, which he believe completely unmotivated, offensive and damaging his reputation.
Therefore, in March 2015 he decided to give up the protection program and came back to Palermo, where for over a year he lived completely isolated with his family, without protection, in economic destitution. In the meantime, he continued to make statements to the judiciary and on May 15, 2016, he testified as a witness at the trial on the State-Mafia Treaty.
On June 1, 2017, Mr Angelo Niceta began a hunger strike to the bitter end to demand respect for his rights, which had been violated by the improper attribution of the status of 'Collaborator of Justice' and by the lack of protection.
In those days, three parliamentary questions were presented: one to the Chamber of Deputies by the Hon. Erasmo Palazzotto, two to the House of Deputies Bottici, Airola, Moronese, Giarrusso, Donno, Montevecchi, Buccarella, Endrizzi and Cappelletti. The then President of the Chamber of Deputies Laura Boldrini, urged by the citizens' committee formed in support of Angelo, expressed her solidarity. An online petition was also presented, which collected over thirty thousand signatures in a few days.
On July 4, 2017, the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office again requested, in the persons of the then Public Prosecutor Franco Lo Voi and the then Attorney General at the Court of Appeal Roberto Scarpinato, the protection program for Angelo and his family as witnesses of justice. That request also saw the favorable opinion of Franca Imbergamo, Prosecutor's Office for the National Anti-Mafia
On July 12, 2017, after forty-three days of hunger strike, Angelo was again transferred with his family to a protected location, that time as a Witness of Justice.
The story, unfortunately, does not end there.
The protection program must be approved peremptorily within sixty days of the request, and despite the urging of the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office to, for two years Angelo and his family, while living in a protected location, were formally left without protection in a provisional status that prevented access to certain rights and prerogatives recognized to witnesses of justice. Only in spring 2019, two years late, the protection program was approved by the Ministry of the Interior.
While strange anomalies occurred during the protection, the protection program was renewed three times: in its requests, the Palermo Public Prosecutor's Office has always stressed the importance of the statements made by Mr Niceta.
Last March, another severe event occurred: while the his family was in a protected location, strangers broke into their family home in Casteldaccia, owned by Enrico, Angelo's son and, in addition to the theft of economic and sentimental value objects, including the wedding dress of Rosalba, the house was completely vandalized with the destruction of furniture and valuables, and the scattering of excrement on the floors.
Equally disturbing is the fact that, despite the seriousness of the incident, linked to Angelo Niceta's role as witness of justice, the press chose to completely ignore it (for more details, see also the relevant facebook post with pics that was written at the time), thus further exacerbating the shameful isolation of the witness.
Mr Angelo Niceta ask the rules be respected.
As citizens, we cannot remain indifferent to the desperate conditions of a witness of justice, an exemplary citizen who is under protection for having carried out his duty at the precise request of the judiciary, and to an event having dramatic consequences.
Therefore, we ask the institutions, in this case, the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, the Minister of the Interior, Pref. Matteo Piantedosi, and the Undersecretary of the Interior in charge of the protection of Witnesses of Justice, Nicola Molteni to act immediately.
We citizens ask an answer to the pending parliamentary question, we ask the State to take action, resolving the dramatic situation reported by Angelo Niceta and allowing him to suspend his hunger strike and have a dignified life. Finally, we ask that a honest investigations to be carried out to find out any responsibility for the present state of affairs.
Links about the affair (in italian):
- «I demand respect for the law", Angelo Niceta begins a new hunger strike» from "Antimafia Duemila" of 2023/04/05
- «Angelo Niceta, Dell'Utri, Riina... one-way bitter tears» by Saverio Lodato from "Antimafia Duemila" of 2017/07/06
- «I testify against the mafia but no one protects me: my interview with Angelo Niceta» by Giulio Cavalli from "Left" of 20/05/2017
- «The Nicetas fast for Angelo. "We abandoned by the State» by Virgilio Fagone from "Il Giornale di Sicilia" of 21/11/2022