Italy’s Justice Fault Line: The Case That Put Self-Defence on Trial
29th July 2026
On July 15th, Mario Roggero, a jeweller from Piedmont charged with fatally shooting two of the three robbers who had just raided his shop in 2021, received a final sentence of fourteen years and nine months in prison. This protracted legal battle has opened up a new political front in Italy and reignited a heated debate: to what extent does a citizen have the right to defend themselves when the state is no longer able to protect them?
With a new election cycle just a few months away, the case has become a powerful symbol for the Italian Right, which sees it as an illustration of a justice system more concerned with the rights of offenders than with those of victims. Conversely, the judiciary and the Left are defending the ruling as essential to upholding the rule of law, refusing to equate self-defence with a right to revenge.
The events date back to 28 April 2021. Three armed men entered Mario Roggero’s jewellery shop in Grinzane Cavour, Piedmont. The shopkeeper, his wife, and his daughter were threatened during the robbery. When the criminals fled, Roggero grabbed his legally owned gun, chased them down the street and fired several shots at their vehicle. Two robbers were killed; the third was seriously injured.