Italians File Class Action Lawsuits Against the Chinese Communist Party for Mishandling Coronavirus Outbreak

(Minghui.org) Many Italian citizens are taking legal action against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for its cover-up that has allowed the coronavirus to spread to the world and cause immeasurable human and economic losses. 

As of May 20, 2020, Italy, one of the European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, has recorded over 227,000 cases of infection and more than 32,000 deaths. 

According to Adnkronos, an Italian NGO, Oneurope has launched a website, https://www.covid19classaction.it, where Italians can sign up to join the class action lawsuit against the CCP. This is the first class action suit filed by Italians in the pandemic.

Ferdinando Perone, a coordinator for the lawsuit, told a Minghui correspondent that more than 6,000 people have registered on their website as of May 8. He noted that many Hong Kong residents also expressed support. “People from every country can join us. This lawsuit doesn’t only seek compensation for Italians affected in the crisis, but we also want to seek the truth about it. We also hope everyone can think about how and why this has happened.”

Perone said that, according to international health treaties, any country that experiences a major contagious disease outbreak should report to the World Health Organization within 24 hours. But the Chinese government didn’t do that. If it had been transparent in handling the situation, Italy and other European countries would have had much fewer deaths.

In addition to the above class action lawsuit, a 4-star hotel, Hotel De La Poste, in a famous ski resort in northern Italy has filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Health in China for not reporting the virus’ spread promptly, according to Il sole 24 Ore.

Another newspaper, Quotidiano Canavese, also reported that hotel owners Rudy Benco and Mauro Cortese have sued the Chinese Ministry of Health for the delay in disseminating information on the epidemic. They said in their complaint that they suffered significant economic losses due to the pandemic, because they had to close their hotels, lay off staff, and cancel supply contracts. 

One week after Corriere della Sera published an editorial on April 26 criticizing the Italian government’s pro-CCP policies, officials in Lombardy, Veneto, and Piedmont introduced bills and sought compensation from the CCP for their losses.

Alberto Preioni, the group leader of Salvini’s Party in Piedmont, said during a regional council meeting, “There is no quantifiable economic value for what Piedmont and the Piedmontese have suffered and are still suffering. Broken lives, daily life canceled, immense economic damage. The international courts will have to do their job: if the Chinese authorities have silenced the rumors of the contagion alarm, they will have to suffer the consequences.”