“The circumstances leading to the arrest of the Lazio fans and the Polish judicial authorities’ decision to hold 22 people for trial certainly need to be investigated. I wish to clarify, however, that over 100 people were arrested and taken to various police stations in Warsaw and our Embassy is making an extraordinary effort to ensure that the Italian nationals are released as soon as possible.
In the last 48 hours our Ambassador has been in constant contact with police headquarters in Warsaw and managed to ensure that all of their cases were heard in ‘fast-track’ proceedings in 8 courts on Saturday – not a working day”. The point was made by Foreign Minister Emma Bonino, referring to the clashes between Lazio fans and the Polish police on the eve of the Lazio–Legia Warsaw match.
“The Embassy has been in touch with the families of the persons held for trial and has urged them to appoint defence lawyers. It has advised them on how to appeal and on possible further legal initiatives in the next few days. In the meantime, we have obtained permission for the relatives of some the arrested fans to visit them in prison”, concluded Minister Bonino.