Rita Atria

Rita Atria (born September 4, 1974 in Partanna , Trapani province , † July 26, 1992 in Rome ) was an Italian informant of the judiciary in an investigation against the Sicilian mafia .

biography

Rita Atria was born as the youngest daughter of mafia member Vito Atria in the Sicilian municipality of Partanna . When she was eleven years old, her father was murdered by the Mafia because, on the one hand, he had exaggerated his position of power and thus fell out with many, and on the other hand, because he had not adapted to the new times, but clung too much to the traditional. Because of his open rejection of drug trafficking , he had lost his support with the Accardo, the local mafia family.

Not least because of the difficult relationship with her mother, Rita's bond with her brother Nicola and his wife, Piera Aiello, became even closer. Nicola, who also belonged to the Mafia, told her about the business and entanglements of the local Mafia families, and from him she learned the names of her father's murderers.

When Nicola was also murdered in June 1991, Rita's sister-in-law Piera Aiello (who incidentally does not come from a mafia family) decided to cooperate with the judiciary. As a so-called “testimone di giustizia” (judicial witness), she turned to the anti-mafia prosecutor Paolo Borsellino in order to obtain the arrest of her husband's murderers.

The loss of her brother was another blow to Rita Atria. In November 1991 she decided to follow Piera's example and to share her knowledge of organized crime in Partanna with the investigative authorities. For this purpose she also took her long-standing diary with her, in which she u. a. had made a detailed note of the information shared by her brother. At first she only wanted to avenge the murder of her father and brother with her statements, but over time the motivation changed to a desire for true justice. Because of her testimony, Atria was not only threatened by the Mafia, but also ostracized by her mother. During this time she developed a warm relationship with Paolo Borsellino, who became almost like a father to her. The endangerment of Atria made it necessary to be included in the witness protection program : she was taken headlong by the police from Sicily and from then on lived in Rome under a false name .

This situation was not easy for the 17-year-old Rita Atria: the separation from her mother - despite the extremely tense relationship -, living in isolation and the constant fear of being exposed. When Paolo Borsellino was killed by a car bomb in Palermo on July 19, 1992 , it was another heavy blow for Atria, which made them lose all hope. A week after Borsellino's death, Rita jumped out the window of her apartment on the sixth floor, where she lived with her sister-in-law and her little niece. Contrary to initial suspicions that it could be a murder in disguise, the police investigation stated that it was suicide .

Effects

Atria's decision to cooperate with the judiciary had multiple effects on both her own life and the police investigation. One of the most serious personal consequences was undoubtedly the repudiation by the mother, who - as well as repeated threats from Mafia members - were supposed to persuade Atria to withdraw her statements. The break between mother and daughter was so profound that after Rita's death she smashed the tombstone and the photo attached to it with a hammer. A report by Rita Atria at the Marsala Public Prosecutor's Office shows that she was ready to have her daughter killed.

In addition, Atria's fiancé Calogero broke the engagement because she was the sister-in-law of a traitor. Atria was also shunned by her acquaintances, especially when it was leaked that she was collaborating with the judiciary. This strategy of isolation was accompanied by threats from the Mafia, which Atria reported with great fear on several occasions in its records. Her isolated, anonymous life in Rome was also a great burden for Atria, which is evident from many passages in her diary.

On the other hand, Atria's statements provided evidence that led to the arrest of several mafiosi. In addition, investigations were initiated against the then Mayor of Partannas, Vincenzino Culicchia , in which it came to entanglements between the Mafia and politics.

Initially, it was mainly women's organizations against organized crime (such as Le donne delle lenzuole , the anti-mafia citizens' movement La Rete and the hunger strike women from Palermo) who remembered Rita Atria by holding silent marches or rallies. In 1994 in Milazzo (Sicily) students under the direction of Nadia Furnari and Santina Latella founded the Associazione Rita Atria with the aim of remembering the innocent victims and mobilizing people against the Mafia. This association - now renamed Associazione Antimafie Rita Atria - has been headed by Atria's sister-in-law Piera Aiello as president since July 2008. In addition to fighting all forms of organized crime, the organization would like to rethink how the authorities deal with the testimoni di giustizia - in particular the unjustified equation with the pentiti [cf. Note 1] - reach out and support these witnesses in reorganizing their lives.

Others

In 2009 an Italian movie was made based on the life of Rita Atria. In La siciliana ribelle (literally: "The rebellious Sicilian"), director Marco Amenta tells the story of the protagonist Rita Mancuso. The character is based on Rita Atria, but especially towards the end the script deals with the real events quite freely, which is why Piera Aiello criticized the film adaptation. In addition, she complained in an interview that private photos and videos of the Atria family had been used, which under certain circumstances could pose a threat to them - by revealing their true identity.

literature

• Petra Reski : Rita Atria - A woman against the Mafia . 2nd edition, Hoffmann and Campe , Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-455-08596-2 .

Web links

• Associazione Antimafia Rita Atria (Italian)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ (testimone di giustizia = literally: "Judicial witness"). The term "pentita" does not apply to Rita Atria, as it describes a "repentant" (= pentito), someone who is involved in a crime and now reveals information about it in order to get out or to receive a discount. Rita, on the other hand, has never committed a crime, but makes her knowledge available to the investigating judiciary. See also Borsellino's views in Reski: Rita Atria. P. 164f, as well as Rita's self-assessment ibd. P. 166.
2. ↑ Petra Reski: Rita Atria - a woman against the mafia. 2nd edition, Hoffmann and Campe Verlag, Hamburg 1994, p. 49ff.
3. ↑ Piera Rita ( Memento of the original from April 21, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on ritaatria.it (Italian), accessed July 28, 2009. 
4. ↑ Il Diario on ritaatria.it (Italian), accessed July 20, 2009.
5. ↑ In Ricordo di Rita Atria on malitalia.it (Italian), accessed on August 25, 2018
6. ↑ Petra Reski: Rita Atria - a woman against the mafia. Pp. 18-19 and p. 202.
7. ↑ Petra Reski: Rita Atria - a woman against the mafia. P. 158.
8. ↑ Petra Reski: Rita Atria - a woman against the mafia. P. 123.
9. ↑ See Petra Reski: Rita Atria. P. 132f. and Il Diario on ritaatria.it (Italian)
10. ↑ See Petra Reski: Rita Atria. P. 30: “They have 55 accused [= Rita and Piera; Note d. Ed.] Partanna brought in, 35 Mafiosi were arrested, and judgments stirred […] ”.
11. ↑ Chi Siamo on ritaatria.it (Italian)
12. ↑ Film Penitta Guerra legal Antimafia Cavallaro  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on corriere.it (Italian), accessed July 27, 2009.  
13. ↑ Information about the film on reuters.com, accessed on April 15, 2010.