On 25 September 1988 the mafia killed Antonino Saetta, former president of the Court of Appeal of Caltanissetta, the first judging magistrate murdered in an ambush in which his son also died.
In those years of mourning and dirty deals, the rectitude of judges like Saetta - who among other things dealt with the trial against the killers of his colleague Rocco Chinnici - was essential in helping to stop the expansion of the criminal power of the clans. A role that is too little appreciated in our dramatic history of fighting the mafia.
Today, 35 years after the massacre that killed Judge Saetta, we honor the memory of a servant of the State, recalling his words, reported on the walls of the Court of Caltanissetta:
“Our dignity requires us, at times, to face difficult situations with courage. And it also gives us all the courage we need in those cases."
Statement by the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, on the 35th anniversary of the massacre in which judge Antonino Saetta was killed together with his son Stefano near Canicattì, his city of origin.