MILAN, Oct 28 (Reuters) – An Italian judge has ordered the release of a university researcher accused by police of helping orchestrate violent protests this month, infuriating Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who denounced the decision as “shameful”.
Youssef Siher, a 30-year-old Italian freelance journalist and geopolitics graduate of Moroccan origin, was detained by Milan prosecutors on October 24 on charges of incitement to commit crimes, aggravated by alleged terrorist purposes.
But in a sharp rebuke to prosecutors who had portrayed him as a dangerous militant, Milan judge Tiziana Landoni said the investigation appeared deeply flawed.
“There are no serious grounds for believing that (Siher) committed the offences with which he has been charged, nor is there a risk of flight,” Landoni wrote in her ruling.
Siher himself always denied any wrongdoing. Prosecutors did not immediately comment, but Meloni was swift to denounce the decision.
“I think this is an unbearable humiliation of the work of the police and investigators,” she said in a video posted on social media.
“I really don’t know how a normal state can defend decent people in the face of these decisions by certain sections of the judiciary,” she added.
Italian police had identified Siher as the administrator of the Telegram group “October 17 Movement”, which was created following violent protests in Milan.
According to the detention order, Siher published what investigators described as “subversive content” and messages calling on protesters to gather on October 24 with the aim of carrying out offences against public order.
However, Landoni said such comments were posted by other group members, not Siher himself. “Siher was not found to have encouraged or in any way supported the violent actions advocated by those users,” she wrote.
The case is notable because prosecutors cited a new offence introduced under a security decree enacted by Meloni’s government this month as part of its latest law-and-order crackdown.
The newly defined crime carries prison terms of between four and 12 years for organisers of groups that, while taking part in public demonstrations, endanger public safety or cause damage.
Siher’s arrest has sparked concern among legal observers and members of the Italian Bar Association.
Critics also questioned the extensive media coverage of the case, with some Italian newspapers portraying him as guilty and revealing detailed descriptions of his life and family.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, editing by Crispian Balmer and Keith Weir)
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