The president of the judiciary's union, the National Association of Magistrates (ANM) said that a nationwide strike against the government's planned reform to separate the career paths of prosecutors and judges so members of the judiciary can no longer switch between the two roles was being staged on Thursday to defend the Constitution and not the interests of magistrates.
    "It isn't a strike against someone but in defence of a series of principles of the Constitution in which we firmly believe and which are fundamental for citizens", the president of ANM, Cesare Parodi, told Radio 24.
    "It is everything but a defence of the corporation.
    "We are not defending any privilege", stressed Parodi.
    ANM has long criticized the Constitutional reform bill, drafted by Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, saying it will weaken the judiciary and is aimed at placing State attorneys under the executive's control.
    Nordio has repeatedly rejected such a claim.
    The Constitutional reform bill - which has received the first of at least four parliamentary votes necessary for its approval - also creates a high court to discipline members of the judiciary and changes the make-up of the judiciary's self-governing body, the CSM, overhauling the way CSM justices are elected, using a draw process.
    Speaking on Thursday, the newly elected president of ANM Parodi specifically warned against the "concrete risk" of "prosecutors being influenced" by "strong powers" if the reform is approved.
    "This would be the most negative impact for common citizens", whom ANM has reiterated would be better safeguarded by a State attorney who, as a magistrate coordinating investigations, is currently obligated to present evidence in favour of the defence, as well as the prosecution during a trial.
    "We fear that the revisitation of the role of prosecutors which today guarantees all citizens" because State attorneys are currently "free to verify facts in a comprehensive manner", said Parodi.
    "Giving up on this guarantee would be very grave", warned the ANM president.
    In a video released on the eve of the strike, the union said judges have convicted defendants taken to trial by State Attorneys in less than half of the cases over the past five years, quoting statistics on Italian legal proceedings.
    In addition, the judiciary's union said switching between roles, which is only allowed once in a magistrate's career and requires moving to a different appeals court, has concerned 0.5% of members of the judiciary over the past five years.
    Magistrates striking across Italy included judges and prosecutors at Italy's supreme Cassation Court who staged a protest on the steps of the building in Piazza Cavour in Rome, wearing a cockade with the colours of the Italian flag on their robes and carrying a copy of the Constitution.
   

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