Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has decided today to deny the extradition of Italian Cesare Battisti, sentenced to life in his country for four murders committed 30 years ago, when integrated a left-wing armed group. Lula, who will pass his office on Saturday to President-elect, Dilma Rousseff, rejected the extradition requested by Italy and approved last November by the Supreme Court of Brazil, according to Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said in a brief statement to reporters.Local media speculated for days that Lula would be granted refugee status Battisti, who told an Italian court in 1992 convicted of killing four people, two of them policemen, in the seventies, a period in which I joined the group Armed Proletarians for Communism (PAC), linked to the Red Brigades.
According to this version, the cause of delay in posting has responded to fear of reprisals from Italy, although the president had stated he would announce his decision before his term ends this Saturday. Battisti's decision is awaited with anticipation in Italy. The Italian Government yesterday came to declare that it reserves the "right to consider all necessary measures to respect the bilateral extradition treaty with Brazil.
The Italian Foreign Ministry issued a brief statement that opens the door to this possibility, depending on the decision taken in regard to Lula or not to grant refugee status to Battisti. Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa, said in an interview published by the newspaper Corriere della Seraque Brazil any decision to grant political refugee status to Battisti not be without consequences for bilateral relations.
Lula's response, which leaves the presidency with a popularity rating of over 80%, did not wait too: "Brazil is sovereign. Do not fear reprisals from Italy. Who is going to retaliate to Brazil? Everyone does what he wants and always respect a sovereign decision of another country ", added a one of his last official acts.
In November last year the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) in Brazil overturned the refugee status granted to Battisti and gave the green light for his extradition to Italy to serve there life sentence for his crimes, but the ruling is not binding and the final decision on its future depends on the president of the republic.
Lula met with the President of STF, Cézar Peluze, and it was hoped that after this meeting will make an announcement, which ultimately did not happen. Battisti, 55, has been detained in a prison in Brasilia where he was held in January 2007, a day after his capture in Rio de Janeiro, where he was hiding since 2004.
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