Ciro Cirillo

Ciro Cirillo
President of Campania
In office
12 September 1979 – 13 August 1980
Preceded byGaspare Russo
Succeeded byEmilio De Feo
President of the province of Naples
In office
1969–1975
Preceded byAntonio Gava
Succeeded byGiuseppe Iacono
Personal details
Born(1921-02-15)15 February 1921
Naples, Kingdom of Italy
Died30 July 2017(2017-07-30) (aged 96)
Torre del Greco, Italy
Political partyChristian Democracy

Ciro Cirillo (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtʃiːro tʃiˈrillo]; 15 February 1921 – 30 July 2017) was an Italian politician and member of the Christian Democracy (DC) political party. He served as the president of the province of Naples from 1969 to 1975 and the president of Campania from 1979 until 1980. Cirillo oversaw reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of the 1980 Irpinia earthquake, which struck the region on 23 November 1980.[1][2]

In 1981, Cirillo was kidnapped by the Red Brigades (BR), an Italian paramilitary group, in a case that garnered worldwide attention.[3] He was released on 25 July 1981, following 89 days in captivity and a ransom payment of 1.45 billion lire.[3] The ransom was a controversial deal with the Camorra;[4][5][6] they did not negotiate with the BR and only asked them to release him.[7] This happened several years after the Italian state had refused to negotiate with the BR in their kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro, leading observers and critics to wonder what changed and the reasons behind the state's negotiation.[8][9][10]

  1. ^ "Around the World; Italian Terrorists Kidnap Politician and Kill 2 Guards". The New York Times. 28 April 1981. p. 8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  2. ^ D'Avanzo, Giuseppe (12 April 2001). "la Repubblica/politica: Cirillo, i misteri del sequestro 'La mia verita' e' dal notaio'". La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Ciro Cirillo, President of Campania kidnapped in 1981, dies". Italian Insider. 31 July 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  4. ^ "Cirillo, l'uomo dei segreti tra Brigate Rosse, Stato e camorra: 'Fu zittito dalla Dc'". Il Mattino (in Italian). 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  5. ^ "Cirillo, la Camorra, le BR..." Associazione Me.Dia.Re. (in Italian). 27 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Un silenzio lungo 40 anni. Il caso Cirillo e i segreti di quella trattativa tra Stato, camorra e Br". La Repubblica (in Italian). 26 April 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Caso Cirillo, ex 007: 'La Dc trattò con la camorra, non con le Br'". Roma (in Italian). 26 April 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  8. ^ "[L'intervista esclusiva] 'Cirillo rapito dalle BR e quel riscatto pagato dai costruttori del post terremoto dell'Irpinia. Napoli città infetta'". Tiscali Notizie (in Italian). 31 July 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  9. ^ Demarco, Marco (30 July 2017). "Lo stato e la trattativa con i terroristi Perché per Cirillo sì e per Moro no?". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.
  10. ^ Consoli, Andrea Di; Scotti, Vincenzo (18 January 2019). "Quando la DC decise di trattare con le BR per liberare Ciro Cirillo". Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved 31 August 2023.