Giancarlo Siani (;
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, September 19, 1959, - Naples, September 23, 1985) was an Italian crime reporter from Naples, who was killed by the
Camorra, the Neapolitan mafia.
He started to write in the magazine ''Osservatorio sulla camorra'', and later as a
stringer
Stringer may refer to:
Structural elements
* Stringer (aircraft), or longeron, a strip of wood or metal to which the skin of an aircraft is fastened
* Stringer (slag), an inclusion, possibly leading to a defect, in cast metal
* Stringer (stairs), ...
for ''
Il Mattino
''Il Mattino'' (meaning ''The Morning'' in English) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Naples, Italy.
History and profile
''Il Mattino'' was first published on 16 March 1892 by the journalists Edoardo Scarfoglio and Matilde Serao. The p ...
'', the principal newspaper of Naples. He was assigned to the local area editor of
Castellammare di Stabia
Castellammare di Stabia (; nap, Castiellammare 'e Stabbia) is a '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region, in southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento.
History ...
. He wrote articles about the links between organized crime, politicians and construction contracts.
Siani was executed in his soft top
Citroën Méhari
The Citroën Méhari is a lightweight recreational and utility vehicle, manufactured and marketed by French carmaker Citroën over 18 years in a single generation. Built in front-wheel (1968–1988) and four-wheel drive (1980–1983) var ...
on September 23, 1985, in Naples by the
Camorra, while approaching his apartment. He was killed by an assassination squad of at least 2 men who approached from behind and shot him 10 times in the head with 7.65mm small arms fire from at least 2 Beretta pistols. The killers escaped on a motorcycle. At the time he was conducting an investigation of one of their leaders,
Valentino Gionta. Gionta was the boss of the
Gionta clan, a Camorra clan that was based in
Torre Annunziata
Torre Annunziata (; nap, Torr'Annunziata) is a city and commune in the Metropolitan City of Naples, region of Campania in Italy. It is located on the Gulf of Naples at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.
History
The city was destroyed in the Vesuvius ...
and controlled
cigarette smuggling
The illicit cigarette trade is defined as “the production, import, export, purchase, sale, or possession of tobacco goods which fail to comply with legislation” (FATF 2012). Illicit cigarette trade activities fall under 3 categories:
# Con ...
.
[The Siani Case]
, website dedicated to the memory of Giancarlo Siani (access date April 6, 2010)
On June 10, 1985, 3 months before his murder, Siani had revealed that the Valentino Gionta's arrest had been decided by
Lorenzo Nuvoletta
Lorenzo Nuvoletta (January 1, 1931 – April 7, 1994) was the head of the Nuvoletta clan, a Neapolitan Camorra organization that operated from the town of Marano di Napoli, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Naples. Nuvoletta was c ...
, head of the
Nuvoletta clan
The Nuvoletta clan was a powerful Neapolitan Camorra clan operating from the town of Marano di Napoli, situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Naples, southern Italy. The Nuvolettas belonged to a new style of Camorra, one that had the d ...
, (an ally Camorra clan) to arrive in peace with Alfieri-Bardellino. Siani was preparing a dossier on the
Torre Annunziata massacre in August 1984, which left eight people killed and 24 wounded among the Gionta clan, allied with the Nuvolettas at the time. After the massacre tensions between the two clans had increased.
In 2000,
Angelo Nuvoletta,
Valentino Gionta and
Luigi Baccante were sentenced in absentia to life in prison for ordering the murder, as well as the material killers Gaetano Iacolare, Ferdinando Cataldo, Armando Del Core and Ciro Cappuccio.
[Camorra, arrestato l'assassino del giornalista Siani]
La Repubblica, March 27, 2001
La Repubblica, May 17, 2001
In 2009, the movie ''
Fortapàsc'' based on his life story was released, directed by
Marco Risi
Marco Risi (born 4 June 1951) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, film producer and cinematographer.
Born in Milan, he is son of director Dino Risi. After graduating from Liceo Scientifico, Risi joined the faculty of philosophy, but aband ...
. The title (pronounced "Fort-apash" in dialect) is a reference to
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
's classic western, ''
Fort Apache'', and the lawlessness of Camorra-ruled Naples.
[Fortapasc]
review in Variety, May 5, 2009
See also
*
List of journalists killed in Europe
This is a list of journalists killed in Europe (as a continent), divided by country.
While journalists in the European Union (EU) generally work in good conditions, there are cases of murdered journalists, and many of them remain unpunished. Thi ...
References
External links
Giancarlo Siani: Un giornalista ucciso dalla camorra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siani, Giancarlo
1959 births
1985 deaths
Journalists from Naples
Antimafia
Assassinated Italian journalists
Non-fiction writers about organized crime in Italy
People murdered by the Camorra
People murdered in Italy
20th-century Italian journalists
Italian male journalists
20th-century Italian male writers