Italian Earthquake Researchers Sentenced To Six Years In Prison
Jennifer Welsh | 36 minutes ago

Nature News just announced via tweet that the Italian Seismologists on trial for manslaughter have been sentenced to six years in prison.
They were on trial after 309 people died in an April 6, 2009 magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the town of L'Aquila, Italy.
Even though earthquake prediction isn't possible, previous studies had found that about half of bigger quakes in Italy were preceded by swarms of smaller earthquakes. That sounds like a good indicator, but the truth is that there are many more of these small swarms than big earthquakes, and only 2 percent of small swarms preceded bigger quakes.
The scientists were on trial for failing to make the local government and citizenry fully aware of the possibility of a large quake during a March 31 meeting in L'Aquila. During that meeting one of the researchers, Enzo Boschi, called a large earthquake "unlikely," but warned that the possibility could not be excluded.
Department of Civil Protection official Bernardo De Bernardinis took that info and told the town that there was "no danger," of a possible larger earthquake.
All six of the scientists and Mr. De Bernardinis were on Italy's Major Risks Committee, which is supposed to assess the risk of potential natural disasters. Prosecutors were asking for a sentence of four years, though it seems Judge Marco Billi thought that sentence was too light.
The scientists sentenced today include Enzo Boschi, president of Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, as well as Claudio Eva, an earth scientist at the University of Genoa.
We'll add more info here on the sentence as we learn more details. Great background on the case from Nature News.

Read more: www.businessinsider.com/italian-seismolo...012-10#ixzz2A2sMp0LT

There has to be some kind of ulterior motive behind this, surely. Can't for the life of me think what it is though.

Gilly wrote:
Indeed!

Perhaps they've noticed other 'patterns' and needed to be taught to keep it zipped?

Gilly wrote:
6 years for not playing the boy who cried wolf well enough?
lol!!!

When you put this into context with the bankers this is just insane!! I mean...WTF?? W...T...F!!!!???

Who's going to want a geologists job in Italy? lol :p

Apples and oranges, andy. 6 years may be a little harsh, but I don't know the details and comparing them with the bankers is not something the court would or should do.

I would like to know what actions or preparations did Boschi take in his personal life.... like after the swarms started did he and his family bunker down or go on vacation? After telling people it is nothing to worry about? Or is he just inept?

edit: Or does Boschi, et al, not live anywhere near there?

Boschi allegedly advised that although a big quake was unlikely, it couldn't be ruled out. That's not the same as stating there's nothing to worry about.

There are reports all over the internet now, showing these men were charged with, "Making buildings fall down", amongst other things. How that assertion can possibly be backed up is beyond me. And plenty of reports state that modern buildings' construction was no more suitable for a fault line area than the ancient dwellings there. So will those architects involved be charged for that contributory negligence, I wonder?

There's loads of evidence pointing to it being impossible to accurately predict big earthquakes, so how these people could be responsible for manslaughter, and why the judge upped the jail term sought by the prosecution by 50% all seems extremely stinky to me.

I think more will leak out given time.

Do you know offhand if there are charges against De Bernardis who apparently misinterpreted the info?

As far as the architects go...if they cut corners to make a profit, if those buildings were built after legal guidelines were put in place, then they should be charged.

**That is if the buildings did not meet the guidelines.

noseymutegirl wrote:
I don't think so, but not 100% sure.

This took place 3 years ago, and despite the case against the seismologists, there's been no talk the architects being prosecuted.

Interesting. I might have skimmed over this thread a little too quickly...

Scientists are getting f****d over left and right, I know that much.

Took a bit of rooting out, but it seems he was prosecuted...

"Another convicted defendant, Bernardo De Bernardinis, a former official of the national Civil Protection agency, said "I consider myself innocent before God and men."

I've spent ages hunting for a very good article I read about it earlier, which I can't now find.

All the scientific community are up in arms at the precedent that's been set, because it's being recognised across the board as being blatantly unfair, and the one I read earlier was a from a scientific magazine, in which the article's author was effing like mad in anger what's gone on.

I take back what I said earlier. It is not right holding these men responsible for a natural (or unnatural) disaster.

Something is afoot and it stinks.

noseymutegirl wrote:
lol, no shit