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Giuliana Sgrena is back in the news. She is the Italian journalist fired upon and wounded by U.S. troops at a checkpoint in Iraq in March 2005. An Italian secret service agent was driving her to the Baghdad airport after her release by her kidnapers, according to some reports, after the Italian government had paid a large ransom.
The secret service agent, Nicola Calipari, was killed and another agent was wounded. According to the New York Daily News, Italian prosecutors are now considering charging an unidentified U.S. serviceman with murder in Calipari's death. The speed of the car is a key disagreement between Rome and Washington. American soldiers said the car was traveling at more than 50 mph, failed to respond to warning shots, and did not slow down until shots were fired. Sgrena said the car was going about 42 mph and slowed down to about 30 at the checkpoint. Last April, CBS reported that American military satellites showed the car traveling toward the checkpoint at 60 mph without slowing at all.
Few news outlets reported that Sgrena is a communist reporter working for a communist paper, il Manifesto, and strongly opposes the U.S. presence in Iraq. The Italian government's reported attempt to consider criminal charges in this case is reason to be relieved that the United States has not signed on to the International Criminal Court.
Posted at 02:30 PM by John Leo
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