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The end of Toto' Riina, Italian Mafia boss dies at 87
Salvatore ‘Totò’ Riina died in the prisoners’ wing of a hospital in Parma on November 17th while serving 26 life sentences. The ‘boss of bosses’ had recently undergone surgery and been placed in a medically induced coma. Close relatives were allowed to visit him in hospital but a previous early release request for him to ‘die with dignity’ at home in Corleone – commonly known as the birthplace of the ‘Godfather’ movies – was denied. Riina had been the head of Sicily’s infamous crime syndicate, Cosa Nostra, since the 1970s and had orchestrated brutal acts of violence throughout his rule, even from the confines of prison where he had been held since his arrest in 1993. Breaking the long-held assumption that Mafia killings occurred only between rivals, Riina also retaliated against the state, ordering the assassinations of leading anti-Mafia magistrates in 1992, two victims from a long list of horrific killings.
The dark web of Cosa Nostra wove deep into ‘all facets of Italian life’, from businesses forced to pay protection fees, to politicians reportedly paying for votes. The Mafia’s code of silence protected those higher up, but a succession of Mafia-ordered bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence pushed the state to truly crack down on the long-felt untouchable regime of terror, eventually leading to Riina’s arrest.
As for the funeral, the Catholic Church has said a Church service is out of the question. According to spokesperson Father Ivan Maffeis, “The condemnation of the Italian Church regarding this phenomenon is unequivocal”.
- sources: The New York Times and The Telegraph.
Source: washingtonpost.com