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21 The Curse of Asbestos (January 29, 2014)

On this date, he was sentenced, by a Turin Court, to 16 years in prison and payment of 100 million Euros for the asbestos-related deaths of thousands of people contaminated in Italian Eternit plants. The crime was described as a “willful and permanent environmental disaster and willful negligence of safety measures for workers”.

The Schmidheiny aura continues in some high-level spheres even after the conviction by the Court of Turin. The exchange of letters between the office of the law firm that represents the Italian victims and the University of Yale is an example. This was the response of the Yale administration to the victims' request: “Yale granted the honor to Mr.

Not empty cries, but anchored in documentation: the Italian victims delivered a letter to Yale University in support of their cause with the names of more than 70 renowned scientists from around the world, as well as the main conclusions of the Court of Turin, taken from a sentence more than 800 pages long.

He, who according to the Court of Turin, was involved in so much evil, perhaps wanted too much: a place in history as a hero. And so his victims appeared to remind him that he is a villain – and that the bodies will remain unburied until there is justice.

To a certain extent his letter, years before the sentence of the Court of Turin, reminded Stephan Schmidheiny that, when it comes to human destiny, not even those who believe they are gods can escape.

22 LKA Blog (September 3, 2013)

The funeral took place today (June 1, 2013) of Belgian Baron Louis de Cartier de Marchienne, one of two defendants condemned last year in a landmark asbestos ruling handed down by the Turin criminal court. On Monday (June 3), the appeal verdict of this case will be announced. Under Italian jurisprudence, the Baron’s death ended proceedings against him and the company he represented; whether civil charges will be pursued by his victims remains to be seen.

23 Brazilian Court: Eternit to Pay! (August 28, 2013)

In a landmark ruling handed down in February 2012, the Turin Court held executives from Eternit Groups in Switzerland and Belgium responsible for deaths in Italian towns where Eternit asbestos-cement factories operated.6 Although there is little doubt that this case will be appealed, it seems certain that the tide has turned in Brazil.

24 Interpretation of "The Female Face of Britain's Asbestos Catastrophe" (July 2, 2013)

I want to produce twenty pieces which will reveal a panorama of the asbestos tragedy; from the invention by Ludwig Hatschek of the asbestos-cement process to the condemnation of Schmidheiny in the great asbestos trial of Turin, incorporating the contribution made by Dr. Irving Selikoff, the fight for justice by the workers in Casale Monferrato, and other key topics.

25 2013 Appeal Verdict in the Great Asbestos Trial (June 3, 2013)

Today (June 3, 2013) in Turin the Appeal Court not only upheld a landmark asbestos verdict of 2012 but upped the prison sentence handed out to Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny from 16 to 18 years! Defendants Stephan Schmidheiny and Baron Louis de Cartier de Marchienne were appealing guilty verdicts they received for their parts in the asbestos deaths of thousands of Italians.

Attempts by the defendants to quash the verdict suffered a serious setback on March 4, 2013 when the President of the Turin Court not only validated the first instance guilty ruling but also rejected the defendants' ploy to halt the ongoing proceedings. The appeal had nearly reached completion when on May 21, 2013 the death of one of the defendants, 91-year old Louis de Cartier de Marchienne, was reported.

Italian asbestos victims and campaigners were joined in the Turin court this morning by colleagues from France, Belgium and Switzerland, countries where Eternit asbestos operations have also caused a massive loss of life. Just after 9 a.m. expert witness Pietro Clerici was asked by the Court to authenticate the death certificate of one Louis de Cartier de Marchienne.

26 Belgium's Asbestos Killing Fields (May 23, 2013)

Marchienne was one of two former Eternit directors found guilty by a Turin court for contributing to the asbestos epidemic which killed thousands of Italians. Marchienne and Swiss billionaire Stephan Schmidheiny were convicted of causing wilful permanent environmental disaster and failing to comply with safety rules in a 2012 landmark ruling.

27 Rotterdam Convention Conference of the Parties (COP6): Day 1 (May 8, 2013)

From Italy representatives came from Casale Monferrato and Turin; they included victims, activists and trade unionists. Other groups represented included the UK Forum of Asbestos Victims Support Groups, the German Association of Asbestos Victims, the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed, and Ban Asbestos Japan.

28 Rotterdam Convention 2013: Dossier of Daily Reports (May 21, 2013)

From Italy representatives came from Casale Monferrato and Turin; they included victims, activists and trade unionists. Other groups represented included the UK Forum of Asbestos Victims Support Groups, the German Association of Asbestos Victims, the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed, and Ban Asbestos Japan.

29 LKA Blog (April 9, 2013)

Hundreds of people will be at the Turin courthouse today to bear witness to the judicial effort to apportion blame for the deaths of their loved ones. People like Romana Blasotti Pavesi who lost her husband Mario, her sister, her cousin, her nephew and her daughter Rosa to asbestos cancer will make the journey from Casale Monferrato to Turin in the early morning to ensure her place in the courtroom.

Love which is true, love which does not alter with time or age, will be in the Turin courtroom today as Romana and her colleagues continue their 30-year fight for justice. Our hearts are with them in this battle.

The IBAS monograph Eternit & The Great Asbestos Trial, which was published on the day the decision was announced in Turin, is now available in English, Portuguese, Thai and Japanese.

30 Launch of Italian Asbestos Plan (April 10, 2013)

Experts from the University of Alexandria and the University of Turin are collaborating on plans to create an organizational model to provide a continuum of care for the injured. Research on risk assessment, health surveillance, genetic susceptibility and the efficacy of biomarkers is also being progressed.

In his comments to the meeting Giorgio Demezzi, Mayor of Casale Monferrato, pressed the Ministers on funding for municipal removal programs. The national dialogue on asbestos has, he said, created a lot of expectations; without the money to action decontamination work and legislation to allow this money to be spent, no improvements are possible.5 Demezzi also commented on the fact that none of the interim payments awarded by the Turin Court have been paid by defendants Stephan Schmidheiny or Louis de Cartier de Marchienne.