An Italian court upheld the last remaining sentence of Amanda Knox, who was convicted of slander for falsely accusing Patrick Lumumba of murder in Perugia, Italy. An appellate court in Florence upheld the conviction.
Background of the case
In 2007, Knox, who was 20 at the time, accused her boss Patrick Lumumba during an interrogation. This led to her arrest and two weeks in prison. Knox signed two statements prepared by the police, but later wrote a note doubting her accusations. In 2009, she was convicted of slandering Lumumba and sentenced to three years in prison. She spent this time awaiting trial for his murder.
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The Supreme Court and human rights
In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Knox’s rights were violated during the interrogation. This led Italy’s Supreme Court to order a retrial. The appellate court ordered a retrial on the defamation charge, which concludes on June 5, 2024. The verdict continues Knox’s long legal saga, even though she was acquitted of Kercher’s murder in 2015.
Knox’s emotional statement
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During the trial, Knox spoke emotionally in Italian. She expressed regret for not withdrawing her allegations against Lumumba. She explained that she was “tired and confused” during the interrogation and was under pressure from the police. She apologised for appearing calm at the time, and attributed her behaviour to being in an “existential crisis”.
Court decision and future appeals
The court’s verdict was delivered by a panel of two judges and six jurors, including two alternates. They took about two hours to deliver their verdict. Knox’s lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova expressed surprise at the verdict and said Knox was “very upset”. The judge now has 60 days to write the reasoning behind the verdict. Knox’s legal team has another 60 days to appeal to the Supreme Court based on this reasoning.
Lumumba’s involvement
Knox’s accusation led to the arrest of Patrick Lumumba in November 2007. Knox, her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede were also arrested and convicted of Kercher’s murder in 2009. Guede admitted to being in the house on the night of Kercher’s death, but denied killing her. He claimed Knox and Sollecito were also present. Guede served 13 years of a 16-year sentence and was released in 2021.
Murder conviction overturned
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In 2011, the Court of Appeal overturned Knox and Sollecito’s murder convictions after an independent review of forensic evidence. However, in 2013 the Italian Supreme Court overturned the acquittals. In 2014, the Florentine Appellate Court convicted them again. Knox, who was in the US at the time, did not attend the trial. Finally, in 2015, the Italian Supreme Court definitively acquitted Knox and Sollecito of murder.
Current Status of Knox
Knox, now 36 and a mother of two, pleaded guilty to slander. The conviction was upheld by Italy’s Supreme Court in 2015. She was sentenced to three years in prison, which had already been served during her detention awaiting trial and appeal. Despite being acquitted of the murder charge, the slander conviction continues to impact her.
Further legal proceedings
Knox’s legal team is considering their right to appeal after reading the judge’s reasoning. Knox may also go to the European Court of Human Rights for a new verdict. This decision of the Italian court has further extended her 17 years of legal torture.
Source: https://hmiendongsaigon.edu.vn
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