Rome | A mafia godfather in solitary confinement for more than 20 years in an Italian prison has obtained permission to buy a CD player to listen to the music of his choice, the daily La Repubblica reported Thursday.
Domenico Strisciuglio, 48, has been imprisoned since 1999 for homicides and mafia crimes under the conditions provided for in the so-called “41 bis” article, a strict prison regime reserved for prisoners convicted in particular of belonging to a criminal organization, terrorism or child pornography.
Deprived of collective activities accessible to other detainees, the clan chief from Bari (south-east) demanded to be able to listen to music other than on the twenty or so television channels available in his cell in Sassari prison, in Sardinia ( South).
Seized by his lawyer, the Sassari court authorized him to buy a CD player and records, against the advice of the prison administration.
The judges asserted the “right to exercise a cultural activity (…), all the more important in view of the regime, the 41 bis, which does not allow, or little, activities in common”.
This right represents “the ultimate area of personal freedom” and it cannot be suppressed “by any type of detention whatsoever” insofar as it does not appear to contradict “the security requirements” justifying the 41 bis regime. , they stressed.
Finally, the magistrates indicate that the musical offer of the television channels to which Domenico Strisciuglio has access, including the public channels of Rai, as well as the private channels Canale 5 and La Sette, “does not seem able to satisfy” music lovers.
In 2019, he had already obtained the right to watch television after midnight.