Hey kids! Got dreams of being a scientist? Well don’t do it – because if you do, you risk being thrown in prison for six years, barred from public employment for life, and liable for court costs and damages, all because you failed to say exactly when an earthquake was going to happen.
Six Italian scientists and an ex-government official have been sentenced to six years in prison over the 2009 deadly earthquake in L’Aquila.
A regional court found them guilty of multiple manslaughter.
Prosecutors said the defendants gave a falsely reassuring statement before the quake, while the defence maintained there was no way to predict major quakes.
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The seven – all members of the National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks – were accused of having provided “inexact, incomplete and contradictory” information about the danger of the tremors felt ahead of 6 April 2009 quake, Italian media report.
In addition to their sentences, all have been barred from ever holding public office again, La Repubblica reports.
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The judge also ordered the defendants to pay court costs and damages.
The irrationality of it is frightening. Yes it was a really bad earthquake, but the badness of the earthquake doesn’t make scientists who failed to predict it more guilty. Jeezis. Wouldn’t you kind of expect a judge to realize that?
I have a prediction: Italy will suddenly find itself bereft of scientists.
9 comments
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Gregory in Seattle
October 22, 2012 at 10:19 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Words fail.
michaeld
October 22, 2012 at 10:48 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
So can Italians sue their government for not taking scientists warnings seriously enough about climate change?
Pierce R. Butler
October 22, 2012 at 11:27 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
And Pliny the Elder now has to pay for the complete restoration of Pompeii.
Raging Bee
October 22, 2012 at 11:36 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Here’s a recent comment to the story that offers some insight as to who benefits from this scapegoating:
Reality = families can now claim compensation from the scientic firms and departments etc & bankrupt them and ruin good reputations rather than sue the govt which didn’t have enough safety measures in place for the buildings despite knowing the fault was there..and save corrupt politicians for more chicanery…
Raging Bee
October 22, 2012 at 11:38 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
And in all fairness, are these scientists being punished for their actual work — or for caving to political pressure not to cause any alarm DESPITE what their actual work told them? The article should have gone into that aspect of the story a bit more.
sunny
October 22, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
While they are at it, if they could jail some economists, that would make my day
In any case, the mind boggles!
Joel
October 22, 2012 at 1:52 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Raging Bee: the current state of science makes predicting when an earthquake will occur impossible.
Emily Isalwaysright
October 22, 2012 at 6:15 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Quelli Italiani sono pazzi!
Marlow Up River
October 24, 2012 at 6:32 am (UTC -7) Link to this comment
My deity failed to make a safe place for me to live. Just saying.