Heartfelt plea to Italian skiers: "Don’t go to Crans-Montana"

Pietro Costanzo, uncle of Chiara Costanzo, the 16-year-old girl who died in the Crans-Montana fire, has made a heartfelt appeal to Fisi, the Italian Winter Sports Federation, which has now been chaired by Flavio Roda since 2012. “Next week there are ski races in Crans-Montana: no athletes present. It would be a beautiful form of protest, of outrage”, he told, interviewed by TgR Lombardy, to whose microphones he also said he was not very confident of being able to obtain justice for the New Year’s Eve tragedy.

Jacques Moretti, meanwhile, is out of jail. As we all unfortunately know, the Le Constellations nightclub in Crans-Montana was the scene of a devastating fire that claimed 40 lives and injured more than 100 people. His release was made possible after the payment of a bail of 215,000 francs, paid by a friend of his who wishes to remain anonymous, but Moretti still remains subject to a number of restrictive measures, including being required to sign and surrender his identity documents.

The suspect was released from prison after being charged with the crime.

The suspect has been given a travel ban, an obligation to deposit all personal and residence documents with the prosecutor’s offices, as well as daily reporting to a police command. The decision provoked an extremely harsh reaction from Italy. “I am outraged, I consider it an outrage to the memory of the victims and an insult to their families,” says Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, announcing that the government “will hold the Swiss authorities” accountable.”

On the same line is Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who calls the measure “a real outrage to the sensitivities of the families who lost their children in Crans-Montana, which does not take into account the deep mourning and grief these families share with the Italian People”. After Jacques Moretti was released on bail, the government and the Farnesina also decided to recall to Rome the Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado.

Deep bitterness also emerges from the reactions of family members of the Italian victims and wounded. “We are bewildered, it is a disgrace for our children” say the parents of Riccardo Minghetti, one of the young men who died in the fire.

The parents of Riccardo Minghetti, one of the young men who died in the fire.

“A release,” adds lawyer Alessandro Vaccato, who is assisting the family of another young victim, Genovese golfer Emanuele Galeppini, “that leaves us interdicted, frankly we will have to intervene because it is not possible for it to go like this”.