Between "colonial amnesia" and "victimization biases": Double standards in Italian cultural heritage law

AbstractThis article offers a critical appraisal of the evolution of Italian cultural heritage law with respect to issues of colonial and war restitution and of control over the import of potentially trafficked cultural property. As Italy is usually considered a "source country" and a victim of historical depredations, a form of "selective blindness" to its colonial past and to its role at the receiving end of both past and current misappropriations of cultural objects is discussed. Some recent restitutions of cultural property taken in times of colonial occupation are also analyzed as signs of a possible change in policy and practice, but the article also highlights the features of political expediency that have influenced them as well as the many legal and practical obstacles still to be faced by restitution and repatriation claims. Finally, the potential effects of recent (mostly international) inputs on Italy's cultural heritage policy are presented

Between “colonial amnesia” and “victimization biases”. Double standards in Italian cultural heritage law

This article aims at offering a critical appraisal of the evolution of Italian cultural heritage law, with respect to issues of colonial and war restitutions and of controls over the import of potentially trafficked cultural property. As Italy is usually considered a “source country” and a victim of historical depredations, a form of “selective blindness” to its colonial past and to its role at the receiving end of both past and current misappropriations of cultural objects is discussed. Some recent restitutions of cultural property taken in times of colonial occupation are also analysed, as signals of a possible change in policy and practice, but highlighting, too, the features of political expediency which influenced them, as well as the many legal and practical obstacles still to be faced by restitution and repatriation claims. Finally, the potential effects of recent (mostly international) inputs on Italy’s cultural heritage policy are presented

Otolaryngologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis: a review

Many symptoms of multiple sclerosis may affect the ear, nose and throat. The most common otolaryngologic symptoms of multiple sclerosis are speech disorders, followed by sleep disorders, vertigo and disequilibrium, dysphagia, smell alterations, and hearing loss. Less common symptoms include sialorrhea, facial palsy, taste alterations, trigeminal neuralgia and tinnitus. The origin of otolaryngologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis is mainly central, although increasing evidence also suggests a peripheral involvement. Otolaryngologic symptoms in multiple sclerosis may have different clinical presentations; they can appear in different stages of the pathology, in some cases they can be the presenting symptoms and their worsening may be correlated with reactivation of the disease. Many of these symptoms significantly affect the quality of life or patients and lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Otolaryngologic symptoms are common in multiple sclerosis; however, they are often overlooked. In many cases, they follow the relapsing-remitting phases of the disease, and may spontaneously disappear, leading to a delay in multiple sclerosis diagnosis. Clinicians should be aware of otolaryngologic symptoms of multiple sclerosis, especially when they are associated to neurologic symptoms, as they may be early signs of a still undiagnosed multiple sclerosis or could help monitor disease progression in already diagnosed patients

La \uabpazienza della terra\ubb: dai percorsi di dominio all'incontro nel cammino. Viaggio letterario nel diritto del patrimonio culturale

La conservazione, protezione e trasmissione alle generazioni future del patrimonio culturale ereditato dal passato ha conosciuto una crescente regolamentazione, a livello sia nazionale sia internazionale, a partire almeno dall\u2019inizio del ventesimo secolo. Oggi temi quali il contrasto al traffico di beni culturali e la restituzione di oggetti illecitamente (o \u2018ingiustamente\u2019) esportati dai Paesi di origine presentano una rilevanza sempre maggiore nell\u2019agenda politica e legislativa di molti Stati e organismi internazionali. Questo saggio vuole indagare come un approccio \u2018giusletterario\u2019 (con un\u2019enfasi sul concetto di Giustizia) al diritto del patrimonio culturale possa giovare al dibattito attualmente in corso, il quale tocca, oltre a questioni giuridiche assai complesse, anche implicazioni simboliche, profondamente radicate e assai sfaccettate, di natura storica, politica e socio-economica, di estrema attualit\ue0. Attraverso l\u2019analisi di alcuni rilevanti esempi di letteratura di viaggio e di narrativa del diciottesimo e diciannovesimo secolo, il presente contributo si propone di evidenziare l\u2019importanza di una corretta \u2018contestualizzazione\u2019 per il raggiungimento di \u2018giuste\u2019 soluzioni ai conflitti che sorgono in esito a \u2018crimini\u2019 contro il patrimonio culturale, e di suggerire come un approccio pi\uf9 \u2018narrativo\u2019 a tali conflitti potrebbe favorire un\u2019efficace applicazione di modelli di alternative dispute resolution e, pi\uf9 specificamente, di programmi di giustizia riparativa, ai sempre pi\uf9 numerosi casi di richieste di \u2018rimpatrio\u2019 di beni culturali.The conservation, protection and passing to future generations of the cultural heritage received from the past has known a huge increase in both national and international regulation since at least the beginning of the Twentieth Century. Currently, issues such as cultural property trafficking and the return and restitution of cultural objects illegally (or \u2018unjustly\u2019) taken away from their places of origin are of ever increasing relevance in the political and legislative agenda of many countries and international organizations. In this essay, we explore how a \u2018Law and Literature\u2019 \u2013 or, better, a \u2018Justice and Literature\u2019 \u2013 approach to cultural heritage law could benefit the ongoing debate, which involves, besides very complex legal issues, also deeply rooted and multifaceted symbolic implications of historical, political and socio-economical import and topicality. By discussing some relevant examples of Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century travel literature and narrative, this article suggests the importance of \u2018contextualization\u2019 for a \u2018just\u2019 solution of conflicts arising from \u2018crimes\u2019 against cultural heritage, and how a more \u2018narrative\u2019 approach to said conflicts could pave the way for a successful application of alternative dispute resolution techniques and, more specifically, restorative justice programmes, to questions of repatriation of cultural objects

Linee guida per la valutazione individuale dei bisogni delle vittime di corporate violence

La Direttiva 2012/29/UE che istituisce norme minime in materia di diritti, assistenza e protezione delle vittime di reato introduce, in capo a una platea potenzialmente assai ampia di operatori (del diritto, sociali, sanitari) che possano trovarsi a entrare in contatto con \u2018vittime di reato\u2019 il dovere di effettuare una valutazione individuale delle specifiche esigenze di protezione da rischi di vittimizzazione secondaria o ripetuta, intimidazione o ritorsione, che ciascuna vittima possa presentare in concreto. N\ue9 la Direttiva stessa, n\ue9 il legislatore nazionale all\u2019atto della sua trasposizione, hanno dettagliato modalit\ue0 e soggetti specificamente deputati a effettuare tale valutazione. I ricercatori del progetto internazionale \u2018Victims and Corporations. Implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU for victims of corporate crimes and corporate violence\u2019 hanno elaborato uno specifico insieme di linee guida utili a indirizzare gli operatori nell\u2019individuazione degli elementi da prendere in considerazione nello svolgimento di tale valutazione, con particolare riferimento a una tipologia di soggetti potenzialmente \u2018vulnerabili\u2019, ma spesso neppure percepiti come vittime di reato: le vittime di \u2018corporate violence\u2019, ossia di reati commessi da imprese commerciali nel corso della loro attivit\ue0 lecita, e implicanti danni per la vita, la salute e l\u2019integrit\ue0 psico-fisica delle persone.Directive 2012/29/EU establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime sets down the duty to make an individual assessment of each victim\u2019s specific needs of protection from secondary and repeat victimisation, from intimidation and from retaliation; a duty which is potentially incumbent on a wide range of professionals (be they legal, social or health workers). Neither the Directive, nor the Italian transposition law, provide details about the specific individuals charged with the task and the specific ways to perform it. The researchers of the international project \u2018Victims and Corporations. Implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU for victims of corporate crimes and corporate violence\u2019 have developed a set of specific guidelines which may help all interested professionals in identifying the elements to be taken into account while performing said individual assessment, with specific reference to a typology of potentially vulnerable people, who, however, often fail even to be recognised as victims. They are the victims of corporate violence, i.e. people having suffered harms to life, health or personal integrity due to crimes committed by corporations in the course of their legitimate activity

'Victims and Corporations': una breve introduzione

Questo breve saggio si propone di introdurre il lettore alle tematiche pi\uf9 diffusamente trattate nel Focus e, pi\uf9 in generale, oggetto del progetto internazionale di ricerca e formazione \u2018Victims and Corporations. Implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU for victims of corporate crimes and corporate violence\u2019. Attraverso una combinazione di ricerca teorica ed empirica condotta in Italia, Belgio e Germania con il coinvolgimento di vittime della c.d. \u2018violenza d\u2019impresa\u2019, operatori giuridici e sociali, esperti e professionisti nel settore dell\u2019assistenza e supporto alle vittime di reato e della giustizia riparativa, il Progetto si propone di contribuire a una effettiva ed efficace attuazione della \u2018Direttiva vittime\u2019 del 2012 in relazione a una tipologia tradizionalmente invisibile e trascurata, ma estremamente numerosa, di soggetti caratterizzati da peculiari vulnerabilit\ue0.This brief article aims at introducing the reader to the contents and topics of the current Focus and, more broadly, to the results of the international research and training project on \u2018Victims and Corporations. Implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU for victims of corporate crimes and corporate violence\u2019, whence the debate here reported originates. Through a complex theoretical and empirical research in three European countries (Italy, Belgium, and Germany), which saw the involvement of corporate violence victims, representatives of law enforcement agencies and lawyers, experts and professionals in the fields of victim support service and restorative justice, the Project aims at contributing to an actual and effective implementation of the so-called \u2018Victims Directive\u2019, with a specific focus on a too often forgotten and invisible, albeit very numerous, typology of crime victims, i.e. the victims of corporate crime and corporate violence, who face specific and serious vulnerability issues

Photo-ignition process of multiwall carbon nanotubes and ferrocene by continuous wave Xe lamp illumination

none8noThis work aims to investigate and characterize the photo-ignition phenomenon of MWCNT/ferrocene mixtures by using a continuous wave (CW) xenon (Xe) light source, in order to find the power ignition threshold by employing a different type of light source as was used in previous research (i.e., pulsed Xe lamp). The experimental photo-ignition tests were carried out by varying the weight ratio of the used mixtures, luminous power, and wavelength range of the incident Xe light by using selective optical filters. For a better explanation of the photo-induced ignition process, the absorption spectra of MWCNT/ferrocene mixtures and ferrocene only were obtained. The experimental results show that the luminous power (related to the entire spectrum of the Xe lamp) needed to trigger the ignition of MWCNT/ferrocene mixtures decreases with increasing metal nanoparticles content according to previously published results when using a different type of light source (i.e., pulsed vs CW Xe light source). Furthermore, less light power is required to trigger photo-ignition when moving towards the ultraviolet (UV) region. This is in agreement with the measured absorption spectra, which present higher absorption values in the UV–vis region for both MWCNT/ferrocene mixtures and ferrocene only diluted in toluene. Finally, a chemo-physical interpretation of the ignition phenomenon is proposed whereby ferrocene photo-excitation, due to photon absorption, produces ferrocene itself in its excited form and is thus capable of promoting electron transfer to MWCNTs. In this way, the resulting radical species, FeCp2+∙ and MWCNT−, easily react with oxygen giving rise to the ignition of MWCNT/ferrocene samples.openVisconti, Paolo; Primiceri, Patrizio; Longo, Daniele; Strafella, Luciano; Carlucci, Antonio Paolo; Lomascolo, Mauro; Cretì, Arianna; Mele, GiuseppeVisconti, Paolo; Primiceri, Patrizio; Longo, Daniele; Strafella, Luciano; Carlucci, Antonio Paolo; Lomascolo, Mauro; Creti', Arianna; Mele, Giuseppe Agostin

Unveiling the egg microbiota of the loggerhead sea turtle <i>Caretta caretta</i> in nesting beaches of the Mediterranean Sea

Microbes have central roles in the development and health of animals, being the introduction of specific microbial species a potential conservation strategy to protect animals from emerging diseases. Thus, insight into the microbiota of the species and their habitats is essential. In this manuscript, we report for the first time the bacterial composition of all the components (eggshells of hatched and unhatched eggs, internal content of unhatched eggs, intestinal content of hatchling and pipping sea turtles, and sand) of three nesting beaches of Caretta caretta along the Italian coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. The analysis of 26 amplicon samples was carried out using next-generation sequencing analysis, targeting V3-V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. Samples featured mainly Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes, whose percentages depended on the sample type. Our results showed that, although from different sampling sites, the internal content of the unhatched eggs, intestinal content of hatchling and pipping sea turtles share the microbiota, which was yet different from that of eggshells and sand of the same nesting beach. This study suggests the maternal and environmental influence alongside a protective role of eggshells in shaping the egg microbiota of Caretta caretta sea turtles

Victims and Corporations. Legal Challenges and Empirical Findings

La Direttiva 2012/29/UE tutela le vittime di reato e mira ad assicurare loro un pi\uf9 effettivo accesso alla giustizia nel rispetto delle garanzie del giusto processo, del diritto di difesa e del principio del contraddittorio. La Direttiva sottolinea, in particolare, la necessit\ue0 di proteggere in modo personalizzato e individualizzato tutte le vittime di reato, con speciale riguardo per le persone \u2018vulnerabili\u2019. Tanto negli ordinamenti nazionali quanto nell'operato delle istituzioni si riscontra, per\uf2, un\u2019ancora insufficiente attenzione verso una nutrita categoria di vittime: le vittime della criminalit\ue0 d\u2019impresa e, in particolare, le vittime di quella che la letteratura internazionale definisce corporate violence. Con la locuzione corporate violence si identificano le condotte penalmente rilevanti, pur riconducibili all'ordinaria attivit\ue0 d\u2019impresa, lesive della salute, dell'integrit\ue0 fisica o della vita delle persone: illeciti ambientali che determinano danni alla vita, alla incolumit\ue0 pubblica o individuale; commercializzazione di prodotti difettosi o pericolosi che cagionano pregiudizio alla vita o alla salute dei consumatori (per esempio, prodotti alimentari e farmaceutici); infortuni sul lavoro dovuti a violazione della disciplina sulla sicurezza sul lavoro. Il volume, frutto di un progetto finanziato dall\u2019Unione Europea (www.victimsandcorporations.eu), offre uno studio approfondito della Direttiva 2012/29/EU sotto i profili giuridici e vittimologico-criminologici, analizzando le implicazioni teoriche e pratiche dell\u2019applicazione della Direttiva Vittima in generale e nei casi di corporate violence, con un\u2019attenzione al pi\uf9 ampio quadro delle politiche europee in materia ambientale, farmaceutica e alimentare e delle politiche europee e internazionali in tema di vittime e soggetti vulnerabili. L\u2019opera affronta le principali questioni connesse alla peculiare vulnerabilit\ue0 delle vittime di corporate violence (squilibri informativi, patologie lungolatenti, incertezza scientifica, ecc.), delineando, anche alla luce delle indicazioni emerse da una articolata ricerca empirica, proposte e indicazioni in ordine alla partecipazione al procedimento penale e al sostegno, all\u2019assistenza e alla protezione delle persone offese. L\u2019opera include anche una serie di raccomandazioni, distillate dai significativi risultati del progetto e rivolte al legislatore e ai policy maker. Il volume \ue8 caratterizzato dal taglio interdisciplinare e da una costante lettura sistematica delle fonti normative europee e internazionali, anche alla luce della giurisprudenza della Corte di Giustizia dell\u2019Unione Europea e della Corte Europea dei Diritti dell\u2019Uomo. L\u2019opera si presta a essere strumento utile per studiosi e professionisti.The book is the final publication of the EU-funded project \u201cVictims and Corporations. Implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU for victims of corporate crimes and corporate violence\u201d (www.victimsandcorporations.eu). European Union Directive 2012/29/UE introduces a \u2018system\u2019 of minimum standards on the rights, support and protection for victims of crimes, and their participation to criminal proceedings, without prejudice to the rights of the offender. Within the scope of the Directive and its definition of \u2018victim\u2019, though, there is a relevant group of victims who have not yet received enough consideration, and whose access to justice may be at stake. It is the victims of corporate crimes, and particularly of corporate violence, meaning those criminal offences committed by corporations in the course of their legitimate activities, which result in harms to natural persons\u2019 health, integrity, or life. Within the vast area of corporate crime, the project and this publication focus on three main strands of victimisation: environmental crime, food safety violations and offences in the pharmaceutical industry with the aim to explore intersections and potential synergies between Directive 2012/29/EU and the existing body of EU legal tools in these three sectors. The publication also includes an overview of the current \u2018state of the art\u2019 with respect to the general issue of victims\u2019 rights, support and protection in light of the EU Directive; a comparison with the principles emerging from the ECtHR case law and the broader field of international law; a study of the existing criminological and victimological literature on corporate crime and corporate violence, its harms, and its victims, integrated with the results of the empirical research which was part of the Project; an analytical discussion of said results with respect to the specific issues related to access to justice by victims of corporate violence and to support needs of said victims; a discussion of the possible benefits of integrating a restorative justice approach in dealing with corporate violence crimes. The book is completed with a set of recommendations for national lawmakers and policymakers

Beni culturali e sistema penale

Il volume comprende una serie di studi sui reati contro il patrimonio culturale e le relative tecniche di prevenzione e repressione. Si offre così al lettore un’agile ma completa panoramica delle questioni più attuali e rilevanti, a livello sia interno sia internazionale, in tema di tutela del patrimonio culturale da forme di aggressione (come il saccheggio di siti archeologici, il traffico di beni culturali, gli atti di vandalismo o le frodi nel mercato dell’arte) che negli ultimi anni attirano sempre più l’attenzione dei vari legislatori nazionali (a cominciare da quello italiano) e delle Nazioni Unite. La disamina degli illeciti è condotta seguendo la più avanzata impostazione interdisciplinare, che integra strettamente la prospettiva del diritto penale (sia vigente sia nelle sue linee di riforma) con l’analisi criminologica del fenomeno e con i profili della cooperazione internazionale, tanto nelle attività investigative e giudiziarie, quanto rispetto alle complesse questioni legate alla restituzione e al rimpatrio dei beni culturali contesi.This book is a collection of essays dealing with the topic of cultural heritage protection against offences which may impinge upon it. The problem is analyzed through a brief but complete overview of the most compelling and up-to-date questions related, at both national and international level, to the prevention and fight against crimes involving cultural property (such as looting of archaeological sites, illicit trafficking in cultural objects, episodes of vandalism, or frauds in the art market), which, of late, are an object of ever growing interest for national legislators (particularly for Italian lawmakers), as well as for international agencies such as UNESCO and UNODC. The issue is addressed according to an advanced inter-disciplinary approach, encompassing the criminal law perspective (attentive to possible reforms and new criminal policy strategies), together with a criminological evaluation of the phenomenon, a specific attention to the ways of enforcing more effective international police and judicial cooperation, as well as an overview of the main questions related to the return and restitution of disputed cultural objects