Luigino Longo
Encyclopedia
Luigino Longo also known as Gigi, is a Norwegian
-Italian
trade union and socialist
activist. He is currently serving jail time in Sweden
following a controversial trial in which he was convicted of assaulting the police during the 2001 Gothenburg
demonstrations against George W. Bush
and the EU
.
Longo was arrested during clashes with police in Gothenburg during the 2001 demonstrations surrounding the EU
summit and a visit by George W. Bush
. He was tried and sentenced in record time, and is now serving a 2.5 year long jail term in Sweden.
Critics have argued that the trial was extremely unfair:
Following Longo's and other activists' trials much information has surfaced about brutal police methods, evidence having been falsified by the prosecutors and media having deliberately part taken in cover ups (affecting juries). While this has altered the Swedish State's position to not try any police officers involved in the clashes, it has not had any effect on sentences already handed out to activists.
There is a Norwegian campaign to have Longo's sentence revoked, but it has not met with any success.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
-Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
trade union and socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
activist. He is currently serving jail time in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
following a controversial trial in which he was convicted of assaulting the police during the 2001 Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
demonstrations against George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Longo was arrested during clashes with police in Gothenburg during the 2001 demonstrations surrounding the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
summit and a visit by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. He was tried and sentenced in record time, and is now serving a 2.5 year long jail term in Sweden.
Critics have argued that the trial was extremely unfair:
- He was appointed an inferior defendant, who did not present any witnesess and ignored the fact that the police witnesses altered their statements several times through the trial.
- Video evidence corroborated by police witnesses was later shown to be invalid, as Norwegian State Television had filmed Longo on his way per bus to Gothenburg at that exact moment, as part of a documentary.
- Alleviating circumstances such as a heart condition and a family to support was not given any weight in sentencing.
- The sentence of 2.5 years is extreme considering a conviction for having thrown a rock (which under other circumstances would lead to 30 days).
- While in custody, he was not allowed visits, and most of his correspondence was blocked, making it difficult for him to prepare for his own trial.
Following Longo's and other activists' trials much information has surfaced about brutal police methods, evidence having been falsified by the prosecutors and media having deliberately part taken in cover ups (affecting juries). While this has altered the Swedish State's position to not try any police officers involved in the clashes, it has not had any effect on sentences already handed out to activists.
There is a Norwegian campaign to have Longo's sentence revoked, but it has not met with any success.