owner I had no papers and needed money.. Since he had no other choice, he started working in the factory. outdoor until 14 hours every dayalso on days torrential rain, cold and wind without strong and suitable clothing. He charged a small fee and I had no right to food, water or a bath to relax yourself. Babukar, also originally from AfricaHe explained that they kept the metallic materials needed for 4-5 workers with another colleague, and that they also fulfilled the difficult days they gave him. 500 euros in 2 months. Augustin said he also worked on holidays, sometimes at night and almost without a break. Also, one day a classmate was injured and they didn’t call an ambulance. “She went home and I never saw her again,” she said.
their protagonists creepy stories hundreds (names changed to protect their identities) workers foreigners, the vast majority from Senegal. They became the target of the company Tecnova SRL operating in neighboring areas brindise And Leccein the Apulia region of Italy (south), photovoltaic energyas confirmed by an investigation THE NEWSPAPER OF CATALANIA, Through sources and documents close to the case, from the Prensa Ibérica group. The Lecce Court ruled this April Up to 18 years in prison Jail sentences for seven people linked to the company historical essay with slave labor and extortion while they are resting 483 complainants, of the company’s more than 1,000 employees. Immigrants who dare face their abusers in court.
the damned four spanish (two as administrators), two Colombians (one residing in Valencia) and Moroccan. Among the crimes they were charged with association to commit crimes to reduce slavery and aggravated blackmail. The verdict of conviction is mentioned in the first place. These are Spanish José Fernando Martínez Bascuñana, Luis Manuel Gutiérrez Núñez, Didier Gutiérrez Canedo and Laura García Martin, Colombians Luis Miguel Cárdenos Castellanos and Andrés Felipe Higuera Castellanos and Moroccan Brahim Lebhihe. None of them are in prison, because The whereabouts of all of them is unknown.
cut off feet
With aspects still unclear, the case made a little-known phenomenon visible: forced labor. renewable industry In comparison, this is an innovation. Widely documented exploitation of foreigners in the agricultural sector. HE lawyer Salvatore CentonzeRepresenting the 150 complainants who constituted a private prosecution, “this is one of the biggest slavery cases “It all started with the Italian legislation in 2010 that gave incentives to companies in the industry,” he says.
According to the remake by Centonze, it’s actually doomed operates under the umbrella of the company.based brindisewhat is now declared bankruptcy. “This is how they got 14 parks to build photovoltaic structures,” he says. “The problem is, in order not to lose these incentives, they had to finish the job in a very short time and so production intensifiedTo explain.
Carmen Ruggiero, the prosecutor in charge of the case from the Brindisi District Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA), also said: contempt for workers “also foreigners taken You pay 2 euros per hour” and they were in a state of “great vulnerability”. “In a conversation (between the defendants), let the boots be cut off if they are not for them, or feet cut off, says the lawyer. “The thing that turns out is that these workers eventually revolted. [en la primavera de 2011]took to the streets to demonstrate and even public order issues. This allowed me to focus on the case,” says Ruggiero.
deforestation
The prosecutor and Centonze say, however, that the link with Spain has not yet been explored in depth as it is not consistent with the aims of the investigation, but that aspect (the defendants’ Spanish nationality). frequency could not be detected. “Still, I had another case different from this one, but I had investigated the theft of some of them. Solar panels shipped to Spain and Africa,” says Ruggiero.
HE Attorney General Leonardo De CastrisFrom the Lecce Prosecutor’s Office believes that this is fundamental in the case the victims will tell their own versionssomething that doesn’t always happen. In addition, De Castris, who has followed other processes of exploitation of immigrants in the agricultural sector throughout his career, does not ignore that other similar events will come to light in the future, as similar phenomena occur in both sectors. such as the use of cheap labor. But this is also due to a paradox, says the lawyer: “In this part of Italy, solar energy is growing Because deforestation increased as a result of the Xylella plague, which killed thousands of olive trees”.