Italy's apical tribunal upheld the conviction of US national Amanda Knox for slander connected Thursday, successful a lawsuit that dates backmost astir 2 decades..
Knox was convicted past twelvemonth of slandering section barroom proprietor Patrick Lumumba by implicating him successful the 2007 execution of her British flatmate, Meredith Kercher.
Thursday's verdict has nary existent implications for Knox, who already spent years successful situation for Kercher's murder. She was aboriginal acquitted and returned to the US successful 2011.
Rudy Guede was convicted of Kercher's execution aft DNA grounds linked him to the scene. He was sentenced to 16 years successful situation and released aboriginal successful 2021.
What was the absorption to the verdict?
Knox, who was not successful Italy for Thursday's verdict, described it arsenic "surreal."
"I've conscionable been recovered blameworthy yet again of a transgression I didn't commit," she said connected the societal media level X.
Her lawyer, Carlo Dalla Vedova, besides expressed astonishment astatine the decision.
"We are incredulous," Dalla Vedova told reporters by telephone from the courthouse. "This is wholly unexpected successful our eyes and wholly unjust for Amanda."
Lumumba, meanwhile, welcomed the court's decision, saying helium was satisfied with it.
"Amanda was wrong. This verdict has to travel her for the remainder of her life," helium said.
Who is Amanda Knox?
Knox was a 20-year-old speech pupil successful Perugia erstwhile her British roommate, Kercher, was recovered dormant successful her chamber connected November 2, 2007.
She and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were initially convicted of the sidesplitting successful a 2009 trial, which was overturned successful 2011. Knox past returned to the US, but she was recovered blameworthy again successful a 2014 retrial earlier yet being cleared by Italy's highest tribunal successful 2015.
However, the slander condemnation remained.
During constabulary questioning, Knox implicated Lumumba successful the murder. This led to the section barroom proprietor being jailed for 2 weeks earlier helium was released without charge.
Knox aboriginal claimed that Italian constabulary threatened her with 30 years successful situation and utilized unit to unit her into naming the Congolese barman arsenic the killer.
The European Court of Human Rights successful 2019 ruled that Knox had not been fixed capable ineligible practice oregon a nonrecreational interpreter during her constabulary interrogation.
Knox had appealed the condemnation based connected that ruling but lost her bid past twelvemonth erstwhile a tribunal successful Florence handed her a three-year sentence. That condemnation was upheld connected Thursday but it has nary applicable interaction arsenic it was covered by the clip Knox spent successful situation for the execution charge.
rmt/lo (AFP, AP, Reuters)