Giovanni Pellegrino, I was a Senator of the Republic from 1987 to 2001 and Chairman of the bicameral Commission of Inquiry into the Massacres. Yesterday,
Organized crime dominated whole regions politically, socially, and economically by the 1980s. In Campania and Naples the Camorra controlled whole swaths of the urban landscape and the underground economy. Several politicians were linked to the Camorra when it siphoned off huge sums of state relief funding after the 1980 earthquake. The ’Ndranghetta organization in Calabria specialized in kidnappings and drug smuggling. In Puglia the Nuova Sacra Corona held sway, while the Mafia dominated Sicily. In Sardinia, bandits continued to operate in some regions, and, although anti-kidnapping laws had been somewhat effective, high-profile kidnappings dominated the news for months. In addition,
Through her photographs and activism, Letizia Battaglia sought to wrest Palermo from the grip of the Mafia. (Please note: This article contains graphic content.)