EUROPEANS FIGHT ORGANIZED CRIME

In the middle of March we went to Italy when the large-scale rallies due to the Day of memory of victims of organised crime were held in Turin and Milan.
Despite a fact that its many `godfathers` are in prisons now, an Italian mafia is still powerful. It controls drug traffic, cigarettes and weapon smuggling, many important sectors of commercial activity of the country and influences politics, especially the southern Italy.
The organised crime income in 2009 settled at 130 billion euro. Particularly, profit of such mafias as Neapolitan `kamorra`, Calabrian `ndrangeta` and Apulian `Sakra-Korona-Unita` reached almost 70 billion euro during the past year.
In order to express their fearlessness and hatred to criminals, annually in different Italian cities peoples create `live chain` across the country. Such protest policy of Italian public has had a long history. The rally in Milan was 15th.
Representatives of Libera, Terra del Fuoco and Networks FLARE organisations(Freedom legality and rights in Europe) have been the organizers. There are some reasons to tell about each member of these organisations separately, because they work altruistically for the sake of truth and rule of law. But activity of Don Zvigi Chiotti , the president of Libera, Mikele Kurto ,the president and director of FLARE and Roberto Forte and many other during the Milan rally caused an admiration.
The procession begun from the main square of Italian city of Turin. We were consolidated with demonstrators and at once became participants of great action of absolutely different people united by one problem. Different persons and identical emotions around ... Thousand of peoples with torches in hands silently moved on small streets, and names of journalists and politicians, the life of which were torn off by mafia were declared by loudspeaker . The Turin rally was some kind of dress rehearsal of the grandiose Milan action. Even the fact-finding supper with our new friends from FLARE appeared some kind of a ritual ascension on mountain where the castle of former Mafiosi was placed. Relatives of this Mafiosi transferred the private residence to human rights organisations for their events in order to be rehabilitated by public.

FLARE ,together with other organizations, called from across the world the journalists who have been under pressure, and also relatives of those who died.
FLARE invited Agil Khalil from France, the journalist of `Azadlig` newspaper , who also has faced serious threat to his life in Azerbaijan (for some publications he got a blow by a knife in heart area) and has been forced to leave the country. There were also Miroslava Gongadze, the spouse of George Gongadze, murdered Ukrainian journalist, Ilya Politkovsky, the son of Anna Politkovskaya, the spouse of Paul Khlebnikov, who was killed, Shangul Balykchy - the spouse of Hasana Balykchy killed in Turkey and many other victims. It is remarkable that large part of rally participants was young generation.
There were many football fans, who cried out slogans against the Milan FC, as the most corrupted club among all Italian sides. Generally , football topic is sensitive as Italians" weakness for this game is equivalent to their love to music. Silvio Berlusconi is a owner of Milan FC Silvio Berlusconi that causing an anger of a part of Italian football fans.

So, nearly 150 thousand people with headers, flags reached a main square of Milan. It is amazing that having got on this rally, we become so close to all happening here that all linguistic and ethnical barriers starts to disappear.

Orators focused attention that the Italian mafia can be eradicated only in case of constant crime fight. The rally had a huge power of hope of a victory.

On March 19 Roberto Forte, director FLARE, conducted a major conference. He said that it was a great day when strong and united Europe opposed to criminality. Suffered journalists and also relatives of victims made speaches. Agil Khalil in his speech stressed that his story is not only his personal tragedy, but a problem of all Azerbaijani people from which the authorities have taken away most important thing - rights of freedom. `I would like to support the words by Ilya Politikovsky, who expressed a hope of possibility of similar rally in Moscow. So I do not lose a faith that the such rally will be sometime possible in Azerbaijan also. This action was a remarkable example of a unification of people`, he told.
At the end of evening the FLARE members revealed their plans.

Lorentso Bodrero - FLARE, communications manager:
FLARE (Freedom legality and rights in Europe) is the network created to fight organised crime, but as we understand this is not top-priority for Azerbaijani citizens. That"s why the communication strategy of the FLARE activity will concentrate on a freedom of speech and freedom of expression in the countries where this problems are major issue.
FLARE is about to launch it"s office in Kiev which will be some kind of a contact point for ex-soviet nations. In this term FLARE might be useful to Azerbaijan, which in turn would help FLARE activity. In this connection we wish to create a some kind of space, some safe platform for independent news agencies,media, young journalists, bloggers who can inform world community about their problems.
We understand that one of the major themes for Azerbaijan is energy, particularly relations with Russia concerning oil and gas. FLARE is going to monitor this topic and that"s why it is important to get independent opinions from Azerbaijan.
Due to common efforts we can change a situation over a freedom of speech in such closed states like Azerbaijan. While there are professional journalism in Azerbaijan now, we will try to facilitate their activity and life.
For example, we"re dealing very closely with the House of journalists, known as French organisation `Reporters without borders`. Our further work aims regional independent agencies and journalists.
Alena Obyezchikova - the chairman of youth human rights movement of Russia, FLARE board member:
FLARE opens one of the first offices in Kiev in June 2010 and the media right lawyer Maria Povoraznyuk will act as the regional co-ordinator. The office will focus it"s activity across the former soviet nations, except the Baltic states. Why we decided to open office in Kiev? A matters of confiscation of illegal goods which are so popular in Europe, have not reached wide scale in former soviet countries yet. That"s why the Kiev office initially intends to assist to a protection of human rights, civil campaigners, journalists. So FLARE grants own European resources to our countries. Some countries can"t open similar offices, for example, in Asian countries, it is just impossible. So Kiev is some kind of a neutral zone where is possible to work and be well informed about events in neighbouring countries and to construct `bridges` between civil campaigners from different countries.
FLARE is planning a very extensive program on support of a freedom of speech which will represent a platform, where to be gathered all information regarding violation of human rights and possible counter-measures. FLARE has plans to render any feasible help, up to refuge granting in Italy to people whose lives under real threat and who want to continue to work. We talked also to colleagues from Azerbaijan which said that they wish to work normally at homeland, instead of moving somewhere. We understand that they need a assistance. The Kiev office will be some kind of epicentre which will react, press governments and hold negotiations. Italians have a very good communications with the European parliament, with Eurocommission, and the local government supports FLARE. FLARE will very strongly involve these channels to reach any transparency. Similar practic in our countries could bring a pretty good results.
The FLARE"s main goal is to get as much as possible support of world community for journalists who should feel that their activity does not remain without attention.
P.S. A special thanks to members of Memory department of FLARE - Karlo Greppi and Paolo Dzhanini for their magnificent work, warmth and friendly embraces which cannot be forgotten for a long period.
Everything that we have seen in Italy, pleased and afflicted us simultaneously. We were glad to see that Europeans can openly speak about their problems, even it"s sometimes dangerous, and afflicted us that a fear wins Azerbaijan still.
I"m very happy to be part of such an important project in Italy at the time while celebratory hysteria concerning Novruz was under way in my homeland. As my friends told, who have been expelled on streets from 8 AM, despite frosty weather, to pose a pleasure till 8 PM, at a time of arrival of the head of state all lampposts across boulevard have been washed up with shampoo. Well, the surroundings is a special passion of Azerbaijan people, but in any case its" impossible to wash away soiled conscience and hands with shampoo.

Samira Najaf