Antonio Graziano, 63, described as a leading figure of the Graziano clan in Quindici, in the province of Avellino, will remain under the special detention regime provided for by Article 41-bis for another two years.
The Court of Cassation rejected his appeal against the extension, confirming the order that keeps the measure in place. The extension was ordered by Justice Minister Carlo Nordio. The ruling also upheld the refusal by the Rome Surveillance Court to revoke the order.
Why the extension was upheld
According to the local press reports on the ruling, the judges focused on three elements: the senior role attributed to Graziano, the continued activity of the clan, and the concrete risk that contact with the criminal organization could be re-established.
The reports describe Graziano as a point of reference for the organization even while in prison. In that assessment, weight was also given to prison conversations and to the interest Graziano was reported to show in the affairs of the clan.
Graziano is held at the Cuneo prison and is serving an overall 30-year sentence.
The case behind the nickname
Graziano is known by the nickname "o sanguinario". The reports link that name to the feud between the Graziano clan and the Cava clan and to the so-called "strage delle donne" in via Cassese, on 26 May 2002.
The available reports do not give a uniform account of the exact number of victims in the via Cassese attack, nor do they publish the full text of the Cassation ruling or the original ministerial decree.
What happens next
With the appeal rejected, the two-year extension of the 41-bis regime remains in force. No further step in this specific review proceeding is reported in the sources consulted.
