Gabriele Del Grande

Gabriele Del Grande is a wellknown italian journalist and documentarist. He is the creator of Fortress Europe, a blog that documents the Mediterranean immigration flows since 1988, and he is the protagonist and author of the documentary "Io sto con la sposa" (I stand with the bride). While he was in Turkey trying to reach Syria for his new documentary project "Un partigiano mi disse" (A partisan told me), he was arrested on April 9 in the Turkish region of Hatay, near the Syrian border. Since then, he is under unjustified detention by the Turkish border police and his documents have been seized jointly with his phone. He is now in Mugla, in a centre of identification and expulsion. After days of protest, finally he managed to get in touch with his family in Italy, announcing that he is safe, but he is not able to ask for consular protection, nor for a lawyer legal represantion; he is still unaware of the charges upon him. He is going to start a hunger strike as a protest for his basic rights: legal represantation, meeting with the consular represantation, possibility to use a telephone, the reason of the charge and precise time of detention and release.

Under this objectives, it has been launched the campaign for Del Grande #iostocongabriele, scheduled for Thursday April 20. This solidarity chain is going to last until Del Grande will be set free.

In Milan, demonstrations are scheduled at 6pm in front of Palazzo Marino; all those who want to gather, are kinldy invited to bring candles with them, a symbol representing the search for light of the truth in this dark situation. Gariwo is going to be there.

The italian Foreign Ministry has been circulating a diplomatic note notifying that the Italian consular and diplomatic body are now on the road to Mugla in order to provide Del Grande the consular and legal represantations.