Migration Media Award: Second Place Radio Category (French)
Author: Cécile Debarge
Media: RFI
Date of broadcast: June 8, 2016
Short summary:
There are many examples where mafia and migrants are associated via illegal trafficking. In Palermo, however, in the iconic stronghold of Cosa Nostra, and in the heart of one of the most popular and degraded neighbourhoods of the city, it was Bangladeshi traders who were the only ones to refuse the racket imposed by the local mafia bosses. Where the omerta reigns, the migrants’ testimonies allowed the arrest of several mafiosi. The police id not impose any special measures to protect the traders after they testified. They have been subjected to numerous pressures and threats and have preferred not to speak on the issue. This subject, probably regarded as local news, was not treated in the rest of the international press.
Full broadcast (in French)