January 12, 2024 – 10:16 pm
Source: Interpol
However, Italy did not hand over to the Argentine authorities the Italian priest accused of committing crimes during the military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983. It is expected that Don Franco Riverberi, the priest of the Diocese of Parma, will not be tried, reports A. Republic.
Riverberry is accused of committing crimes at a secret concentration camp while he was an assistant chaplain for the 8th Alpine Scouts in San Rafael, Mendoza. He is also accused of witnessing the torture of prisoners before killing them, as well as the killing of a 20-year-old man in 1976.
The priest left Argentina in 2011 after a trial began for crimes against humanity, with testimony from survivors and family members indicating he was responsible. Riverberry defended himself by saying he had nothing to do with the crimes.
On January 10, the Italian Minister of Justice refused to extradite him to Argentina, citing the man’s health.
The possibility of never being able to return to Italian soil would be “huge mental stress” for him,
This, combined with heart disease, can be fatal. The accusation considers the minister’s decision to be very dangerous, and they believe that the decision is shameful because “it demonstrates that the government does not distance itself from the fascist dictatorships in Latin America.”
Don Reverberi, 87, currently lives in the parish of Sorbolo in his hometown of Parma, under curfew. The case will continue within a week, and Argentina can still appeal to Rome.