Milan court releases Youssef Siher despite charges — The Independent
A judge in Milan has released 30-year-old researcher Youssef Siher, whom law enforcement suspects of helping organise violent protests in Italy. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called the court’s decision “shameful,” The Independent reports.
The court’s position
Milan prosecutors detained Siher on October 24 on charges of incitement to commit crimes, aggravated by an alleged terrorist purpose. He is an Italian freelance journalist, has studied geopolitics and is of Moroccan origin.
Law enforcement considered him to be the administrator of the “October 17 Movement” Telegram group, which was created after violent protests in Milan. The detention order stated that Siher had posted what investigators considered “subversive content” and calls to gather on October 24 to commit offences against public order.
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Judge Tiziana Landoni, however, stated that these posts had been published by other group members, not Siher. In her ruling, she wrote that there were no serious grounds to believe he had committed the crimes alleged against him, and that there was no risk of him fleeing. The judge added that she had found no encouragement or support by Siher for the violent actions called for by other users. Siher himself denied any wrongdoing.
Meloni’s reaction
The prosecution did not immediately comment on the decision. In a video address on social media, Meloni said she considered Siher’s release an “unbearable humiliation of the work of police and investigators.” She also said she did not know how a “normal state” could protect law-abiding people under such decisions by individual representatives of the judicial system.
The case is also being considered in the context of a new criminal offence introduced by Meloni’s government in this month’s security decree. The new offence provides for four to 12 years in prison for organisers of groups that endanger public safety or cause damage during public demonstrations. Siher’s detention raised concerns among legal professionals and representatives of the Italian Bar Association.
