Six Italian scientists and a government official were found guilty of manslaughter by a regional court in Italy and sentenced to six years in prison, the BBC reported Monday. The decision, issued by L’Aquila court judge Marco Billi after four hours of consideration following the conclusion of the year-long trial, implicates the seven former members of the Italian National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks for providing “inexact, incomplete and contradictory” information ahead of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake that struck L’Aquila in 2009, killing 309 people.
The entire case was blasted by the international seismological and broader scientific community, some of which accused Italy of staging a “witch hunt” and nearly 5,000 members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science signed a letter to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano calling the charges “unfair and naive.”
(H/T: Christopher Mims)
