Judge explains verdict in L’Aquila earthquake trial

Science : Last week, an Italian judge explained his reasons for finding seven scientists guilty of manslaughter following the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake. Although Judge Marco Billi agrees that no one could have predicted the earthquake, he believes that the seven members of the Italian government’s National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks ignored the findings of a number of relevant studies and waged a “media operation” to reassure the public regarding a series of tremors that had struck the area just prior to the quake. Because they downplayed the potential threat, he says, many residents stayed indoors rather than seek shelter outside as they would have normally done. The result was a higher death toll than would otherwise have been expected. The seven have 45 days from the release of Billi’s statement to appeal the decision.