Alleged degrading treatment and gender-based abuses against activists at the hands of Italian police in Brescia, Italy
12.3.2025
Question for written answer E-001068/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Ilaria Salis (The Left), Mimmo Lucano (The Left), Benedetta Scuderi (Verts/ALE), Cristina Guarda (Verts/ALE), Brando Benifei (S&D)
On 13 January 2025, following a peaceful protest, 22 climate activists and human rights defenders were arrested and detained for around seven hours at Brescia police station.
According to some reports[1], while in custody, they were subjected to serious fundamental rights violations, including: denial of access to a lawyer and of contact with family members; degrading treatment in the case of certain female activists, who were forced to undress and perform squats while officers looked on – treatment that was not inflicted on male detainees; the arbitrary issue of expulsion orders on nebulous, discretionary grounds.
In light of the above:
- 1.Is the Commission aware of this sequence of events and has it raised the issue with the Italian authorities?
- 2.If the allegations are proven true, would it consider these acts a violation of EU law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU, Directive 2012/29/EU on the rights of victims of crime, and CJEU case-law on the protection of fundamental rights?
- 3.Does it intend to take measures to pursue the matter further, enforce EU law and address broader concerns relating to the criminalisation of activists in Italy, including in relation to Bill 1236 (formerly 1660)[2]?
Submitted: 12.3.2025