Domenico "Mimmo" Lucano (born 31 May 1958) is an Italian politician, who served as the mayor of

Riace Riace ( Calabrian: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about south of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Riace borders the municipalities of Camini ...

between 2004 and 2018. He gained international recognition for settling refugees in his village, which was experiencing population decline. In 2021 he was sentenced, in first degree, to 13 years and 2 months in prison for white-collar crimes "committed for personal enrichment, at the expense of the migrants".

Biography

Lucano was born in

Melito di Porto Salvo Melito di Porto Salvo ( scn, label= Calabrian, Mèlitu; el, Μέλιτος or Μέλιτο (Mèlitos, label=Calabrian Greek, script=Latn or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabr ...

but moved early in his life to Riace. He worked as a teacher for most of his adult life, and was a

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing cam ...

since the 1990s.

Mayor of Riace

He became mayor of Riace in 2004, maintaining the role since then. In 2009, shortly after his first re-election as mayor, Lucano was shot at through the window of a restaurant and two of his dogs were poisoned and killed. He gained worldwide attention through his innovative approach to dealing with refugees, in the context of the

European migrant crisis The 2015 European migrant crisis, also known internationally as the Syrian refugee crisis, was a period of significantly increased movement of refugees and migrants into Europe in 2015, when 1.3 million people came to the continent to reques ...

. As mayor of Riace, he allowed 450 refugees to settle among the 1,800 inhabitants of the village, revitalising it and preventing the closure of the local school. Lucano, came second runner-up in the 2010

World Mayor World Mayor is a biennial award organized by the City Mayors Foundation since 2004. It intends to raise the profile of mayors worldwide, as well as honour those who have served their communities well and who have contributed to the well-being of c ...

competition. (The winner

Marcelo Ebrard Marcelo Luis Ebrard Casaubón (; born 10 October 1959) is a Mexican politician who is serving as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico. Affiliated with the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) since 2018, he was appointed to lead the f ...

was the

Mayor of Mexico City The Head of Government ( es, Jefe de Gobierno) wields the executive power in Mexico City. The Head of Government serves a six-year term, running concurrently with that of the President of the Republic. Mexico City, or CDMX, is the seat of natio ...

, which has about nine million inhabitants.)World Mayor 2010 results
/ref> Lucano was also listed by '' Fortune'' as one of the world's greatest leaders in 2016; featuring at number 40 in the magazine's listing. In 2017 he was awarded the Dresden Peace Prize. In October 2018, the Italian police put Lucano under house arrest for allegedly helping illegal migrants to stay in the country by organising “

marriages of convenience A marriage of convenience is a marriage contracted for reasons other than that of love and commitment. Instead, such a marriage is entered into for personal gain, or some other sort of strategic purpose, such as a political marriage. There are ...

”. In April 2019, Lucano was indicted with other 26 people on charges of abuse of power and aiding illegal immigration. In the same month, he faced another probe regarding alleged false public statement and fraud. In September 2021, Lucano was sentenced to 13 years and 2 months in prison for aggravated fraud, embezzlement, forgery and

abuse of office Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

crimes, aggravated by the

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agre ...

with his partner Tesfahun Lemlem and several figureheads "in order to continue to enrich themselves, exploiting the migrants". The sentence was nearly double the 7 years and 11 months requested by the prosecution and the entire. Public opinion on the sentence was divided, with voices on the left considering it politically motivated.Il Tempo, 18 dec 2021.
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lucano, Domenico 1958 births Living people People from the Province of Reggio Calabria Mayors of places in Calabria Italian human rights activists Italian politicians convicted of crimes Prisoners and detainees of Italy