Today, Sunday of palms, all Italians, Christians or not, exchanged a small branch of olive tree as a sign of peace. This tradition was broken down by the Italian Government that keeps, illegally, the troops in Afghanistan and ignores the protest of 15,000 people demonstrating yesterday in Rome for the liberation of Rahmatullah Hanefi e Adjmal Nashkbandi.
Adjamal Nashkbandi, Daniele Mastrogiacomo’s interpreter was freed with him but then disappeared while
Rahmatullah Hanefi, manager of Emergency hospital of Lashkargah, who was helping the negotiation for the liberation of Mastrogiacomo between the Taliban, the Italian and Afghan government as asked by the Italian’s one, was ‘arrested’ in the morning of the 20 of March by the Afghan secret services with no justification and official authorization.
Emergency, after collecting 115,000 subscriptions from allover the world for its petition, invited all people to gather Saturday at 2.30 p.m in Piazza Navona in Rome to ask an immediate and official request of liberation for Rahmatullah Hanefi by the Italian Government.
Among gigantic pictures of the two ‘arrested’ Afghan and concerned Italian citizens there were academics, actors, writers and journalists, altogether shouting the motto: “free them too”.
For the first time people went down streets protesting against a left-wing government.
Beppe Grillo, a satire, told peacereporter: “The Foreign Minister should be in Afghanistan to officially protest – we should be man we cannot leave a man in Taliban’s hands, we must go there and say that the Italian Government wants him back in less than 24hrs.”
Gino Strada is strict in its position. He wants the Farnesina to act, he does not accept the Farnesina position of ‘understanding what is going on’, because this shows the will of covering all up.
None asked the Taliban to explain what was going on with Mastrogiacomo, it has been asked to free him. Mr.Strada asks to the Italian Government to repeat itself, to publicly and officially demand to the Afghan Government the liberation of Rahmatullah Hanefi.
However, it seems like the Government can easily ignore this popular protest.
Christian Elia, a journalist of Peace Reporter, says: “I am astonished by all the people that are surprised by Prodi’s government conduct in foreign policy.
“Since the electoral campaign they had clearly said that the would not come back from Afghanistan.”
He added: “Moreover, we should not forget that the head of Farnesina is Massimo d’Alema, the man that throw the troops in Serbia in 1999.
“There is no difference between Prodi and Berlusconi in terms of negation of reality for what concern foreign policy.”
Peace Reporter will not stop to condemn the current appliance of distinction between the values of different human lives.
Mr. Elia states: “The message of Prodi’s government, if he keeps not moving a finger, will be that an Afghan life and an Italian life carry a different value.
“Moreover it will sign a reborn of the ‘realpolitick’ tactic: use and exploit Emergency till the moment it is needed, and then abandon it to its own destiny.”
A country that respects its own Constitution and promotes values as peace and life seems echoic as utopia in these days.
Mr. Elia argues: “I am afraid it is utopia. There are far too many links that chain the Italian political class, both of central-left and central- right wings, to Washington.
Everyone try to serve with the biggest fidelity imaginable the alliance with the U.S. – which foreign policy is well known around the world.”
