Ref: 90/2011

On Friday, 16 December 2011, the Palestinian Centre for Human
Rights (PCHR) received a letter from the family of the Italian activist,
Vittorio Arrigoni, who was killed in Gaza
on 15 April 2011.  This letter was in
response to a letter that had been sent by families of the three accused
persons to Vittorio Arrigoni’s family, in which they expressed regret for the
killing, emphasizing that it was contrary to their values, and appealed for
forgiving the accused, especially as they face the death penalty if they are
found guilty.

In their letter, Arrigoni’s family members expressed their wish for
a fair judicial process according to the requirements of international law
against those accused of killing Vittorio, in order to reveal the circumstances
of the crime.  The family further
requested refraining from applying the death penalty if the court finds the
accused guilty. 

It should be noted that on Friday morning, 15 April 2011, the
Palestinian police found the body of the Italian solidarity activist, Vittorio
Arrigoni, in a house in ‘Aamer Project to the west of Jabalya town in the
northern Gaza Strip, after he had been kidnapped on the preceding evening by a
group called “al-Hammam Mohammed Bin Malama.”

The persons who are accused of killing Arrigoni are currently being
tried before a military court in Gaza.[1]