Italy outraged after Brazil refuses extradition

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi condemned on Friday a decision by outgoing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva not to extradite a former far-left militant convicted of murders in the 1970s.

Brazil's Supreme Court ruled last year that Cesare Battisti should be extradited for crimes committed at a time when far-left groups carried out a campaign of kidnappings and assassinations in Italy. But it left a final decision to Lula, who granted Battisti refugee status in 2009.

"I express deep bitterness and regret at the decision by President Lula to refuse the extradition of Cesare Battisti, a multiple murderer, despite insistent requests and urging at all levels from Italy," Berlusconi said in a statement.

"This is a choice contrary to the most elementary sense of justice," he said, adding the government would explore its options to have the decision changed.

"I consider this situation is anything but closed: Italy will not give up and will make sure of its rights," he said.

Battisti, once part of a group called "Armed Proletarians for Communism", escaped from an Italian prison in 1981 and spent years in France before going to Brazil.

The foreign ministry said Italy's ambassador to Brazil would press the case with incoming President Dilma Rousseff as soon as possible and would be recalled to Rome for consultations.

The decision by Lula, only hours before his second term in office ends on January 1, was widely expected following reports in Brazilian media this week.

Berlusconi has made much in the past of his friendly relations with Lula and the Italian parliament is expected to approve a defence cooperation agreement with Brazil on January 11, but there has been widespread outrage over the issue.

Defence minister Ignazio La Russa said the decision was an affront to both victims' families and the Italian government.

"They should be under no illusion that this can happen without consequences," he told SkyTG24 television.

"Just the fact that Lula waited for the last hour of his term is a sign of his lack of courage," he said. "It's a disgrace. I'll never tire of saying it."

The condemnation of Brazil has come from all sides of the political spectrum in Italy and the story has been closely followed in the media.

"For those who have really suffered they should agree to the extradition," Rome resident Silvana Strozzi told Reuters Television.

"The fact that he has claimed to be a political refugee is just an excuse, something that came after the fact. For those who have suffered -- don't they have a right to justice?"