http://www.bandepleteduranium.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=133
Italy: Justice for a veteran's family in DU related case
Francesco Iannuzzelli | Peacelink, Italy
A court in Rome ordered the Italian Ministry of Defence to compensate the family of Stefano Melone, a soldier who died of a malignant vascular tumor. According to the court, Mr Melone's death was "due to exposure to radioactive and carcinogen substances" on missions in the Balkans.
In memory of Stefano Melone
Stefano Melone began his service in the Italian army in 1977. For many years he had been deployed to a whole host of missions abroad. He had been in Lebanon, Albania, Somalia, ex-Yugoslavia and Kosovo. He was a helicopter pilot but he was also assigned to NBC troops.
Suddenly, in February 2000, he was diagnosed with cancer (Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma of the bone, lung and pleura). In August 2000 a military commission acknowledged the link between his illness and the military service abroad, so he applied for a pension. However, after many surgical operations, he died on 8th November 2001 in Milan, at the age of 40.
Since then, his wife has been engaged in a battle to obtain compensation from the Ministry of Defence, together with many other soldiers and families in similar situations. Before dying, Stefano had asked his wife to do this, so that their children and all the other families could safeguard a future in spite of the terrible pain and loss.
To date, 25 italian soldiers have died of lymphoma, cancer or leukemia, and 260 are currenlty ill, after their missions abroad. Many of these missions took place in countries where depleted uranium has been used, including Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq.
After three reports and many mistakes, a commission nominated by the Ministry of Defence, has eventually acknowledged an increase in lymphoma among soldiers assigned to missions in the Balkans.
In spite of that, the Italian Ministry of Defence refuses to give compensation to their families, let alone to admit that depleted uranium has a role in these cases. Hardly any information is given to soldiers currently on missions abroad about the risks they're facing, and whoever complains about this lack of information is treated as a traitor and marginalised. It's too expensive and difficult to obtain medical tests and therapies for this kind of health problems. Only few soldiers or families have the courage to stand up and ask for compensation after illness or death.
Paola Melone, Stefano's wife, has been very active during all these years. She has finally won her battle. On the 26th of June, in Rome, the magistrates of a local court have sentenced that the Ministry of Defence must pay 500.000 Euros in compensation to Stefano Melone's family.
For the families that have been struggling all these years for their rights, this is a major achievement. Veterans associations, some peace organisations, and a few MPs have expressed their appreciation of this sentence, as it brings some light of justice in the darkness created by the military on the issue of depleted uranium.
A detailed description of the sentence is going to be published shortly, making it possibile to arrive at a better understanding of the motivation of the magistrates and the impact that this sentence may have on several pending cases brought by veterans or their families against the Italian Ministry of Defence.
