Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, reacted to the burning of three Afghan refugees and a Pakistani citizen in the south of the country by expressing that she is deeply shocked by this “horrific crime” and that her government will bring the perpetrators to justice.
Ms. Meloni stated that the suspects in this incident have been arrested, and this action is an important step toward uncovering the truth and achieving justice.
She emphasized the serious pursuit of the case, saying: “The horrific murder of four agricultural workers in Calabria has shocked us all. Italy will not retreat in the face of violence and barbarism.”
The Italian Prime Minister added that uncovering all aspects of this crime and bringing those responsible to justice is one of her government’s main priorities.
She also clarified that the identification and arrest of the suspects were made possible through evidence and documentation collected by criminal investigators, including images from surveillance cameras at the scene.
Alessandro D’Alessio, the prosecutor responsible for the investigation, told reporters on Wednesday, June 4, “In my 30 years of work experience, I have never seen such cruelty and ruthlessness.”
According to Italian media reports, this incident occurred in the town of Amendolara in the province of Cosenza in southern Italy.
The victims were four migrant workers whose identities have been confirmed. The three Afghan refugees are Amin Afzal Khogyani, 28, Safi Aydid, 27, and Ismatullah Qayemi, 19, along with a Pakistani citizen named Waseem Khan, 29, who were working in agriculture.
Reports indicate that two 32-year-old Pakistani citizens, accused of exploiting migrant labor, locked the doors of the vehicle carrying these workers, doused it with petrol, and set it on fire. The charred bodies of the four victims were later found inside the vehicle near a gas station.
Details of the incident were provided to the media by Taj Mohammad, an Afghan refugee who survived the event. He said he managed to escape from the flames by breaking a window of the vehicle.
He emphasized that the workers had not received their wages for over a month and that the suspects forced them to continue working at knife and gunpoint.
He claimed that these individuals are part of a network that exploits migrant workers.
According to reports, the incident occurred when the workers refused to continue working without a formal contract and under exploitative conditions.
