Renzi Declassifies “Years of Lead” Files

"A duty to victims”, says PM. Order accelerates transfer of classified documents held by central government administrations

Following last week’s announcement, Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, yesterday signed an order declassifying files on the Ustica (1980), Peteano (1972), Italicus (1974), Piazza Fontana (1969), Piazza della Loggia (1974), Gioia Tauro (1970), Bologna railway station (1980) and Rapido 904 train (1984) murders. The signing took place at Palazzo Chigi in the presence of the junior minister for the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for the security services, Marco Minniti, and the director of the department of security information (DIS), ambassador Giampiero Massolo. Mr Renzi commented: “One of the key features of this government’s actions is transparency and openness. Today’s decision is a step in that direction. I consider it a duty towards Italians and towards the relatives of the victims of these events, which remain a dark stain on our collective memory”.

Later, Mr Renzi tweeted that the government had declassified documents on “some of the darkest pages in Italian history”, adding to the list the 1973 attack on the police headquarters in Milan. In line with last Friday’s ruling by the interministerial consultative and decision-making committee on intelligence service policy (CISR), the order enables early transfer of “classified files held by all central government administrations that represent an important contribution to the historic memory of the nation”.

The documents will be transferred in chronological order, from the oldest to the most recent, sidestepping the minimum legal limit of forty years in place for all files at central government administrations before they can be assigned to the state archive.