[MP-Ryan]

Reading the latest in the Amanda Knox case.  Concluding that I am now placing Italy at the top of my list of "democracies I never want to be accused of a crime in while visiting."

The local police and judiciary in Perugia appear to have been trained at Clown school.  Good grief.

[StarSlayer]

This is the place that convicted seismologists of manslaughter for not predicting an earthquake.

[Mobius]

Well, welcome to Italy.

[TopAce]

This is the place that convicted seismologists of manslaughter for not predicting an earthquake.

That's not what I heard. They weren't charged with manslaughter because of a failed prediction. They were charged because they claimed with absolute certainty that the town (forgot the name) was perfectly safe.

[Mobius]

TopAce is right. The town is L'Aquila by the way, not so far from Perugia.

[StarSlayer]

Unless more facts have come to light since the last time this was discussed I was under the impression they said it was unlikely but couldn't rule it out. 

[yuezhi]

May I see your list, Ryan?

[Beskargam]

What Starslayer said. see paragraph under meeting of minds http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110914/full/477264a.html

[MP-Ryan]

May I see your list, Ryan?

1. Italy.
2.  Countries with Inquisitorial systems.
3.  All the other democracies.

[Mika]

I'm going to Bologne / Reggio Emilio at some point in the next month. I'll be thankful if I just survive the trip alive and well! Oh, and since it's my first time in Italy too, should I bring my own tommy gun and fisticuffs?

Seriously, reading anything regarding Berlusconi and his trials already put quite a bit of question marks on top of the Italian justice system, but wait till you dig up the closet skeletons of the other European countries!  I assure you that there are plenty of broken justice systems to fix in ALL European countries, like starting from a politically dependent and motivated court system in Finland... A good example being a guy who threatened and raped a 14 year-old-girl serving - get this - lightened 2 years in prison since he had committed other petty crimes after the rape and those cannot be included in the punishment. All done according to Finnish law, but just, definitely no. People doing economical crimes get typically something like 3 to 5 years in prison FFS!

This is just a tip of the iceberg of European legal stupidities, none of the countries in EU is as developed as one would hope for. My personal experience is limited between Finnish and German legal systems, and both are ****ed, but for different reasons.

[yuezhi]

May I see your list, Ryan?

1. Italy.
2.  Countries with Inquisitorial systems.
3.  All the other democracies.

Whatever the hell those systems east are Poland are, I guess it doesn't make any difference.

So perhaps it's a gulag or nuke 'em all.