“They are destroying lives. It is a terrible ordeal. I have a hard time finding the right words. It is regrettable. They are people who had managed to rebuild a normal life, a peaceful family life and who now find themselves projected into a media arena. that returns to bring out a 40-year-old story. It is incredible, it is a persistence. They are lives destroyed for a reason of state “. This was stated to Adnkronos by Irene Terrel, the French lawyer of six of the nine former terrorists arrested in France the day after the first hearing at the Paris Court of Appeal. Read also The upcoming hearings of his clients – the former Lotta Continua militant Giorgio Pietrostefani; the former militant of the Red Brigades, Roberta Cappelli; the former Brigadier Marina Petrella; the former member of the organization of Armed Nuclei, Narciso Manenti; the former militant of the armed Proletarians Luca Bergamin and the former BR, Giovanni Alimonti – are scheduled for next 23 and 30 June. “Although they have been collective arrests, these are individual events,” observes Terrel. For the historic French lawyer “the stratagem” put in place is scandalous: “with an irregular procedure they anticipated the arrests to avoid the prescription” of one of the former Italian terrorists arrested in recent days and for which the limitation was to take effect on April 8 . In the story of Luca Bergamin, the former Pac militant who is expected to serve a sentence of 16 years and 11 months in prison and who was constituted on April 29, “there have already been two unfavorable opinions on extradition”. Even Narciso Manenti, the former militant of the Armed Nuclei against the territorial power who should serve a life sentence, notes Terrel, “had an unfavorable opinion on extradition”. With this new procedure launched by Italy and France, “rights are trampled on. Lives are destroyed. It is revolting”, stresses Terrel. And this story does not only concern Italy but also France: “For 40 years it has given legal guarantees. All – underlines the lawyer – have obtained a permanent residence permit which has been issued by the prefectures. There have been legal acts. that have consolidated the status of asylum. And despite this we find ourselves in this situation, the result of a small settlement between states that would like 40 years later to make the judges say the opposite of what they have said for 40 years and to ensure that the state can violate the legal guarantees granted so far “, adds the French lawyer. “For me it’s a shame,” explains Terrel. “For 40 years there has been a position confirmed by four French presidents. These people are hostages to a reason of state. It is terrible. Not only are the law violated but enormous human damage is created”.