ROME – Italian President Sergio Mattarella has granted five pardons, signing the decrees yesterday, December 23, 2025. These acts of clemency follow a thorough investigation and a favorable opinion from the Minister of Justice. The pardons involve individuals with compelling stories of despair and complex personal circumstances.
Franco Cioni: A Husband’s Desperate Act
Among those pardoned is Franco Cioni, 77, who was sentenced in 2024 to six years, four months, and twenty days in prison for the murder of his terminally ill wife, Laura Amidei, after 50 years of marriage. The incident occurred in Vignola (Modena) in April 2021. President Mattarella’s decision to grant a full pardon, extinguishing the remaining five years and six months of his sentence, took into account several factors. These included favorable opinions from the Prosecutor General and the supervisory magistrate, Cioni’s health condition, the victim’s sister’s forgiveness, and the particularly distressing circumstances surrounding the crime.
Cioni had suffocated his wife with a pillow while she slept. Judges of the Modena Court of Assizes acknowledged that his act was born of desperation, as he could no longer bear to see his wife suffer from her degenerative illness. They recognized the “context” and “altruism” Cioni had shown in caring for his wife since the onset of her illness.
Alla F. Hamad Abdelkarim: A Migrant’s Ordeal
Another significant pardon was granted to Alla F. Hamad Abdelkarim, a Libyan ex-footballer. At just 20 years old, on August 17, 2015, he arrived in Italy on a boat carrying migrants, 49 of whom died from asphyxiation in the hold-an event famously depicted in the film ‘Fuocoammare.’ Abdelkarim, a young engineering student and promising footballer, sought to reach Europe with two friends. Without legal avenues, they, like many others, were forced to rely on traffickers. Upon arrival in Italy, Abdelkarim and his companions, being Libyan, were immediately identified as alleged perpetrators and sentenced to 30 years in prison based on limited testimonies from people in shock after disembarking.
After ten years in prison, during which he demonstrated a “fruitful path of recovery,” and considering the “particularly complex and dramatic context in which the crime occurred,” President Mattarella, with the authorization of Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, granted him a partial pardon, reducing a portion of his remaining sentence. This decision, however, has reportedly caused “astonishment and perplexity” within Lega circles.
Other Pardons Granted
The presidential clemency also extended to three other individuals:
- Alessandro Ciappei, 51: Pardoned for the remaining nine months and three days of a ten-month sentence for fraud committed in 2014. The President considered the minor gravity of the offense, its occasional nature, the long time elapsed since its commission, and Ciappei’s personal situation, as he lives and works abroad, having rebuilt his life there.
- Gabriele Spezzuti, 57: Pardoned from paying 80,000 of a 90,000 euro fine for drug-related offenses committed in 2005. Spezzuti had already served his prison sentence until 2014. The pardon acknowledged that a significant period had passed without further offenses and noted his difficult living conditions.
- Bardhyl Zeneli, 63: Granted a full pardon for a one-year and six-month sentence for evading house arrest. The President’s decision was influenced by favorable opinions from the supervisory magistrate and the Prosecutor General, who highlighted that the act for which Zeneli was convicted (leaving his residence while under house arrest) did not constitute a crime.
These pardons underscore the President’s prerogative to exercise clemency, often considering humanitarian factors and individual rehabilitation alongside legal precedents.
Source: roma.corriere.it
