G8 evian, assolta polizia svizzera

[Luca Pulitini <lpulitini at yahoo.it>]

G8 EVIAN 15/02/2006
<http://italy.indymedia.org/archives/display_by_id.php?feature_id=2753#bottom>


Assolta la polizia svizzera

Si è concluso con un'assoluzione il
<http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=600001&sid=6471113&cKey=1140034957000>processo
contro la polizia svizzera che ha quasi ucciso due attivisti tagliando la
corda da cui erano appesi per bloccare l'autostrada durante il G8 di Evian
nel 2003. Più di 25 testimoni, compreso il capo della polizia svizzera e
gli attivisti presenti sul ponte hanno deposto per una settimana sugli
avvenimenti presso la Corte Correttiva di Nyon.
La polizia, giudicata per lesioni corporali causate da negligenza, è stata
assolta nonostante le prove schiaccianti del
<http://www.aubonnebridge.net/video.php>video girato dagli attivisti di
Indymedia.

Vari attivisti internazionali hanno manifestato il loro
<http://www.aubonnebridge.net/>dissenso per il verdetto dei giudici
annunciato ieri mattina al tribunale di Nyon. Continua cosi l'impunità
della polizia in Svizzera, un paese dove solo il 3% degli incidenti che
coinvolgono le forze dell'ordine! vengono portati a processo e dove non si
ricorda da 20 anni un caso in cui la polizia viene ritenuta responsabile.

COMUNICATO STAMPA DI MARTIN E GEZINE SU VERDETTO DEI GIUDICI

Activists walk out on Judge as Swiss Police Acquitted After Nearly Killing
British Climber at G8 Protests, 2003



On the 17th of February, 2006, activists walked out of court in contempt of
the whitewashed trial of two police officers in Switzerland, who were
acquitted of charges of causing severe bodily harm. The two victims
narrowly escaped with their lives after a police officer cut a climbing
rope during a protest action against the G8 in Evian, France in 2003.
Despite clear video evidence that the police officers had cut the rope in
question, the judge helped to provide support for continuing police
impunity by ruling that they could not be held responsible for their
actions.

Press Con! tacts: <http://www.aubonnebridge.net/>http://www.aubonnebridge.net
Gesine Wenzel or Martin Shaw: +41 7868 36405,
<mailto:aubonnepress at yahoo.com>aubonnepress at yahoo.com

In May 2003, two climbers suspended themselves on a rope across the Aubonne
Bridge in order to stop a G8 delegation from reaching the annual summit in
Evian, France. The police cut the climbing rope and nearly killed two
activists. Martin Shaw, 41 and from the UK, fell some 25 metres and broke
his back, his pelvis and shattered his foot. Despite five operations, he
will never make a complete recovery. The second climber, Gesine Wenzel, 27
and from Germany, was saved when members of her affinity group grabbed her
rope seconds before she fell. She has suffered from severe post-traumatic
stress disorder after the incident and has had to undergo intensive
treatment.

The general absence of any sort of genuine defence was illustrated by the
fact that one of the main arguments used! in favour of the police was
simply that the climbers would not have been cut down if they had not been
hanging there in the first place. It was maintained that despite many
months of preparation and training prior to the summit, they had been
completely unprepared for the possibility that people might try to blockade
the motorway in this fashion, despite the fact that they other security
forces were stationed as lookouts on other bridges nearby.

The court heard that the novelty of the situation, combined with the
“tension” meant that they could not possibly have been able to think
rationally before acting. A video of the incident examined in court,
however, clearly shows that it was the actions of the police officers
arriving on the scene that provoked the tension and the chaos. Moments
before the judge read his final acquittal of the police, victims Martin
Shaw and Gesine Wenzel walked out of the court with their followers,
clearly showing their contempt for the mocke! ry of justice within the
courtroom. They held up a banner in front of the judge before leaving which
said, “Police Everywhere, Justice Nowhere.”

“We are seriously concerned for the precedent that this establishes for
court cases in Switzerland if the police enjoy carte blanche in “tense” or
new situations,“ said Gesine Wenzel after the verdict was announced.

“What we have seen is essentially a whitewash,” said Martin Shaw. “The
Swiss judicial system has given the facade of a fair trial to show that it
holds its law-enforcers responsible for their actions. However studies have
shown that only 3% of incidents involving police brutality are brought to
trial in Switzerland, and even then there is only a 0.08 % conviction rate.
We never stood a chance.”

“The reason why we used direct action to blockade the Aubonne Bridge in the
first place is because we have no faith whatsoever in the integrity of our
legal and political systems,” said Martin Shaw. “People are ! resorting to
direct action because verdicts like this clearly show that you can’t expect
justice from the courts or protection from the police.”

“This is one small instance of repression and injustice in a global
conflict between the forces of neo-liberalism and those who wish to see a
more just, humane and sustainable world,” said Gesine Wenzel.
“From the 29 police-officers currently standing trial for acts of appalling
brutality at the summit in Genoa, Italy in 2003, to the massive display of
police and military force recently in Gleneagles, Scotland, the G8 is
having to use enormous amounts of force to protect itself against the ever
increasing amounts of people that challenge its legitimacy.”

For more information, see:
<http://www.aubonnebridge.net/>http://www.aubonnebridge.net


The following statement was read by Shaw and Wenzel immediately after
walking out of the courtroom, while the judge was reading his verdict.
“What we have s! een here during the last three days is exactly the reason
why we and thousands of other people like us all over the world think that
direct action is the best way to overcome injustice.
The entire judicial procedure from the time the rope was cut has been clear
whitewash. The prosecution is supposed to defend the law but what they
actually defended is the state – and its officers. This court case has been
an elaborate, expensive and time-consuming piece of theatre to provide a
platform to find excuses for inexcusable actions and to misguide the public
by pretending to provide justice.
This verdict is a pure cover up of police brutality by the justice system
and is just further proof of the almost complete police impunity in
Switzerland.”



Fonte: <http://www.italy.indymedia.org>www.italy.indymedia.org




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