For long periods of time, while serving on Navy ships, Petty Officer Enrico Laudati was exposed to asbestos fibers without adequate protection . And today, finally, after a long legal battle waged by his wife Santa and son Ivano, residents of La Maddalena, he has been recognized as a victim of duty.

Laudati served the Italian State for over thirty years. However, many years after the end of his service, he fell ill and died in 2011, at the age of 74, from an illness that the Tempio Pausania Court has now linked to his exposure to asbestos fibers present on the naval vessels on which he served. Thus, his family was granted the right to an adjustment of their life pension to the same amount as that of victims of terrorism and organized crime, overcoming any disparity in treatment between categories of state servants affected in the line of duty.

The judge upheld the appeal filed by the soldier's heirs, ordering the Ministry of Defense to pay the financial differences accrued since the soldier's death. For the family, this represents an increase of approximately €242, bringing the monthly alimony to €500, with arrears estimated at around €60,000.

"This is an important decision because it reestablishes a principle of justice and civility and overcomes a discrimination that was no longer tolerable. The constitutional principle of equality requires that all victims injured in the line of duty be treated equally," commented Ezio Bonanni, president of the National Asbestos Observatory and lawyer for the soldier's family, who emphasized the situation. "The families of these victims have already paid a very high price with the loss of their loved ones and deserve not only the recognition of their rights, but also the support and concrete support of the State."

(Unioneonline)