Ilaria Alpi


Ilaria Alpi was an Italian journalist killed in Mogadishu, Somalia together with her camera operator Miran Hrovatin. In 2009 Francesco Fonti, a former 'Ndrangheta member, claimed that Ilaria Alpi and her cameraman were murdered because they had seen toxic waste shipped by the 'Ndrangheta arrive in Bosaso, Somalia.
At the time of her murder, she was following a case of weapon and illegal toxic waste traffic in which she believed also the Italian Army and other institutions were involved. Alpi was born in Rome and worked for Italian public television broadcaster RAI.
In the 2002 movie Ilaria Alpi - Il più crudele dei giorni, directed by Ferdinando Vincentini Ornagni, she is portrayed by Giovanna Mezzogiorno.

Biography

After graduating at the high school gymnasium "Titus Lucrezio Caro" of Rome, she graduated in literature after completing language courses and Islamic culture in the Department of Oriental Studies of the Sapienza University of Rome.
Thanks to the excellent knowledge of languages won the first journalist writing from Cairo on behalf of Paese Sera and L'Unità. Later she won a scholarship to be taken to Rai.
She is buried in the Cemetery Flaminio in Rome.

Death

On March 20, 1994, she and Miran Hrovatin were killed in an ambush on their jeep in Mogadishu by a seven-man commando unit after returning from Bosaso, while they were in Mogadishu reporting for Rai 3.
In 2000, Somali citizen Hashi Omar Hassan was convicted and sentenced to 26 years in prison for the double murder. In October 2016, a court in Perugia, Italy, reversed the conviction and Hassan was awarded more than three million euros for the wrongful conviction and nearly 17 years he had spent in prison.
On 20 March 2014, 20 years after their deaths, the Italian government reportedly authorized the declassification of secret files into their deaths.

In memory of Ilaria Alpi

Since 1995, awards each year in Riccione the Ilaria Alpi Award to the best Italian television investigations devoted to the issues of peace and solidarity.
The 2003 film Ilaria Alpi - Il più crudele dei giorni of Ferdinando Vicentini Orgnani recounts this tragic story.
In 1997, the Gang have dedicated the song Chi ha ucciso Ilaria Alpi?, while in 2010 the Pooh wrote the song Reporter, poignant ballad on the album Dove comincia il sole dedicated to Ilaria and her illustrious colleague, Oriana Fallaci.
In 2007 he made his debut at the Prize Ilaria Alpi's monologue civil theater "The Holiday" which reconstructs the case of Ilaria and Miran. Written and performed by Marina Senesi, actress and voice of Radio 2 Caterpillar in collaboration with Sabrina Giannini, journalist of Report. In 2011, at the invitation of Don Luigi Ciotti work was represented on the stage of the "XVI Day of the memory and the commitment against the mafie" and the National Day of Libera. Associations, names and numbers against mafias.
In May 2009, Daniel Biacchessi writes the story of Ilaria Alpi in his book Passion reporter.
The ONG Emergency has titled the surgical center of Battambang, Cambodia. They were then named several streets, parks, schools, libraries and other public places.
For Ilaria Alpi was named the high school of Rutigliano, in the Metropolitan City of Bari.
29 marzo 2017: the animation movie Somalia94 - The Ilaria Alpi affair by Marco Giolo, follows the last weeks of the reporter and her cameraman Miran Hrovatin.

Plaques and awards