by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Pierumberto Starace, Lawyer and Activist
A Pordenone judge has formally recognized the presence of nuclear weapons at Aviano Air Base in a ruling that campaigners describe as a significant legal development, although the court dismissed their complaint.
The decision, issued June 15 and made public in July, followed a criminal complaint by the Italian section of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and 15 co-signatories, including physicist Carlo Rovelli. The group argued that the presence of nuclear weapons violated Italian law, Article 11 of the Constitution and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Judge Francesca Vortali dismissed the case under Article 51 of the Italian Penal Code, finding that personnel managing the weapons were acting in fulfillment of duties arising from classified U.S.-Italian agreements. The ruling therefore did not declare the weapons’ presence illegal, but treated their presence at the base as established.
The court also recognized WILPF Italia as having legal standing to bring complaints concerning collective interests, which attorney Pierumberto Starace said could open the way for a future challenge before the European Court of Human Rights.
The issue was discussed Aug. 7 at a press conference in Trieste, where campaigners also raised concerns about PFAS contamination detected in four municipalities around Aviano. More than 100 households in the area reportedly continue to rely on private wells.
The meeting came ahead of a planned demonstration outside Aviano Air Base on Aug. 9, marking the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
