“Madam President, on 2 January, in Siracusa, Ezechia Paolo Reale Esq. passed away. Many of us knew him and I had the good fortune to enjoy a close collaborative relationship with him for many years. He was a great personality, internationally recognized and appreciated, especially in the field of international criminal justice. He was Secretary General of the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, and he was one of the key figures—one of the scholars and jurists—in the establishment of the International Criminal Court. He contributed to the drafting of the Rome Statute of 1998 and again in 2010 at the Kampala Conference on the definition of the crime of aggression. It was one of the most significant moments of his career, and it was far from being the only one.
In his work as an international lawyer before the European Court of Human Rights, in many international proceedings, and in countless negotiations, the affirmation of a universal human right to know—recognized by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe just a few years ago—was of great importance. This principle was also discussed and approved with political value by the Extraordinary Commission for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights of the Senate.
Ezechia Paolo Reale was a man of extraordinary humanity, a true, committed, and responsible member of the polis, of the community to which he belonged and for which he made enormous contributions also on the political level, both in regional and local politics. Above all, he was a man of immense humanity and availability, always ready to respond, always active in advancing the progress of international law on the major issues of human rights and the rule of law.
I take this opportunity, Madam President, to express—on behalf of all those who knew him, and if you allow me, on behalf of the all colleagues—a warm gesture of solidarity to his family: to his wife Titti, and to his children Violante, Federico, and Michele, whom I greet directly, even though they are not here. I hope to meet them soon to express my condolences and my commitment to do the utmost to bring forward the excellent work done by Ezechia Paolo Reale in favour of human rights and the right to know.”
Sen. Giulio Terzi