Storia dell'Associazione Italiana Vittime del Terrorismo
/ Our Association history

our Association has been involved in:

UE Workshop on Support to Victims of terrorism: 29 September  2006 in Bruxelles
and

OSCE High Level Meeting on Victims of terrorism: 13-14 September 2007 in Vienna

AIVITER PRESENTATION

The Italian ‘Terrorism Years’ translated as ‘anni di piombo’ (“Years of lead”) span from 1969 to the mid-eighties when Italy counted more than 12,700 terrorist actions of various political kinds. Some sources indicate the number of those killed as around 450 with other casualties at 4,529.
The memory of those years has faded, almost forgotten by the last generation. Furthermore, the victims of those terrorist actions are being ignored even if they were the servants of the state who never shirked their duty to preserve state institutions and defeat subversive plots despite shifting public opinion.
These are the reasons why the wounded and disabled who are objective and firm witnesses of momentous events and protagonists, despite being victims of bloody episodes, must not be forgotten; nor should those news items which are part of the social history of the end of the last century.

AIVITER, the “Italian Association for the Victims of Terrorism and Actions against the Constitution of the Italian State” founded by Maurizio Puddu, Giovanni Berardi, Adele Andreis widow Casalegno, Antonio Cocozzello, Severa Marone widow Croce, Leo Ferrero, Mario Deorsola, Dante Notaristefano, Sergio Palmieri, and Giovanni Picco, was born in 1985 with the purpose of defending the victims of terrorism, to preserve the memory of those who died, and to study the terrorism phenomenon.

AIVITER is a no profit association whose purpose is “to develop sensitivity and cooperation, to promote and guarantee the rights, the demands, and the expectations of the survivors or of the relatives of those killed”.

The association works towards achieving that victims of terrorism can be legally recognised as ‘Victims of Terrorism’. Since 1990 it works to develop the Italian legislation in favour of victims of terrorism.

In order to preserve the memory of historical events AIVITER has always promoted initiatives of close examination and commemoration. University teachers, judges, institutional and intellectual representatives who have been witness to the events give a valuable contribution of ideas and approval by attending debates organised by the association. Field studies are being published and teaching events are being organised as well as the website www.vittimeterrorismo.it.

After the institution of the European Day in Memory of the Victims of Terrorism by the European parliament in 2004, AIVITER has developed relationships with international institutions (UE, OSCE, and UNICRI) and with European countries’ Associations of Victims of Terrorism, setting up a firm and profitable collaboration network. With this network on 20 My 2009 the AIVITER association is committed to:
- The anniversary remembrance of the founder and president, Maurizio Puddu.
- “The Day of Memory to remember all the victims of terrorism and slaughter of that kind, national and international”, the 9th May in the symbolic recurrence day when Aldo Moro was murdered by the Red Brigades in 1978.

AIVITER’s main last year activities:
- Attendance, on September 2008, of the Symposium on Victims of Terrorism called by the General Secretary of the U.N.
- Attendance of “European VNET2 project” of the European network of the Victims of Terrorism, promoted by the European Commission (DG Freedom, Security and Justice).
- 11th September 2008: Opening of the “Years of lead. Never to forget the victims voice” an itinerant exhibition.
- Production of “Victims” (70 minute documentary film and a CDrom), in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture – Office of Cinema and the Italian broadcasting RAI.

A full details of our activity, year by year, is on line at: http://www.vittimeterrorismo.it/iniziative/iniziativ_pa.htm