UPDATED ON:
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
12:48 Mecca time, 09:48 GMT
 
News Europe
Italians 'sunbathe by Roma bodies'

The pictures appear to show people sunbathing
close to the bodies of the girls

Photographs have emerged of people sunbathing on an Italian beach, just a few metres away from the bodies of two dead Roma children.

The pictures were made public on Monday and appear to show people sunbathing close to the bodies of the girls, laid out under towels, on a popular beach near Naples.

A female relative of the girls, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "How could it be that no one helped? I hope God punishes you and I hope God curses you for the rest of your life."

The dead girls, later named as Vielletta and Kristina are said to have drowned while they were out swimming.

Rescuers saved two other girls who were swimming with them.

The local mayor said everyone who could did try to help the girls, but the sea was simply too rough.

The Romas are a minority in Italy and have been the target of a wave of racist attacks in recent months as anger has spread among Italians, who blame them for rising crime and insecurity.

Indifference 

But the girls' family were enraged at the apparent indifference of holiday makers who witnesses say continued to picnic and play volleyball near the bodies.
 
Meanwhile, a European human rights watchdog has travelled to Italy to examine the situation of the Roma population there.

The week-long trip by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Milan, Naples and Rome comes after the Italian government announced a scheme to fingerprint all Roma, including children.

The scheme, which some have compared to the Nazis treatment of the Jews, has drawn criticism from human rights groups and European Union politicians.

The delegation's conclusions will be given to the Italian government in a report in September.

The team includes experts from the OSCE's high commissioner on national minorities, its Office for democratic institutions and human hights and the office of the Council of Europe human rights commissioner, as well as several Italian non-governmental organisations.

Andrzej Mirga, the OSCE delegation leader, said: "The purpose of the visit is to work with the Italian authorities to identify issues of concern and develop recommendations on how to address them in line with Italy's OSCE and other international commitments."

 Source: Agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 6
 
K.
Canada
22/07/2008
Andrzej Mirga, the OSCE delegation leader might be excused for having so far failed "to identify issues of concern" and even commended for going to discover them in Italy!

Jerome
Canada
22/07/2008
Depends on the Camera Lens
It really depends on the lens on the camera. If that is a telephoto picture and I see nothing that tells me it isn't then the compression effect of the camera lens would separate the women in the background by as much as 100 feet. I would hesitate to say they knew those were bodies, and I'd also say that most sunbathers would move away if they did know. It is better to extend a reasonable benefit of the doubt unless you know anything for sure.

Emil Zaibe
Sweden
22/07/2008
Sunbathing by Roma bodies
It happened to me once that a father and his son was pulled up from a rough sea. They also sadly lay dead on the beach. I felt compassionate not to leave the scene in haste but to stay and reflect and mourn their death. The people in this photo do not seem to be sunbathing nor enjoying the moment. Newspapers reporting this story should be ashamed to blantantly jump to conclusions about what is going on inside the hearts of the most passionate people of Europe.

Nik
United States
22/07/2008
Dead picnic
So, miss Anonymous Relative... What would you like them to have done? It's not like they can resurrect the dead... Should they have left? Why? Should everyone leave a beach after someone drowns? What exactly were the parents doing while their children were drowning? Maybe they should have helped...

L
United Kingdom
22/07/2008
Re: The Rise of Fascism
This kind of abuse by the gonvernment of our freedoms and blatent racism will only continue as long as the people let it. We must not allow the attrocities of the past to be repeated and yet the governments of many European countries insist on violating human rights while they condemn non EU countries. When will the system cease its hypocricy?

Morgan Gibson
Australia
22/07/2008
The Rise of Fascism
This has been going on for months. Ever since the induction of Berlusconi and the Northern League to parliament it has become increasingly apparent that a basically fascist government is taking the reigns of power. The way they have described Hitler and Mussolini has been extremely disturbing. Now it is time the world awoke from its slumber and realise the dangers of what this government is trying to acheive. Take more notice of the global situation! History REPEATS, if slightly changed.

 
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