167:. Since her brother was also a Mafioso, Rita was privy to detailed information on the doings of the Mafia in Partanna. At some point, she also dated a boy who also had a role in the criminal underworld. In June 1991, the Mafia killed Nicola Atria. A month later her brother’s widow, Piera Aiello, went to the police and told them what she knew, thus initiating her collaboration with the judicial authorities.
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224:. Rita wrote in her diary: "You have died for what you believed in, but without you, I too am dead." A week later on July 26, Rita locked herself in her apartment and wrote a note which read: "I am devastated by the killing of Judge Borsellino. Now there's no one to protect me, I'm scared, and I can't take it any more." Shortly after, she killed herself by jumping out the window.
274:
footage "entrusted to him in good faith" for the documentary, according to Rita's niece. Vita Maria Atria, who has been in hiding since 1992, said she was tired of "seeing speculation about her aunt's memory." She said: "I don't believe that any of this helps to commemorate my aunt, but only serves economic ends which I really do not consider appropriate."
237:), and she could not be designated as a “pentito”. Because of this, she is referred to as a "collaboratore di giustizia" (someone who collaborates with prosecutors from the vantage point of being close to members of a criminal organization), a title that has been legally recognised in Italy by the law of 13/2/2001 n. 45.
180:, who took her under his wing much like a paternal figure. She gave Borsellino the names of bosses in the most powerful families and disclosed information about the war between the Mafia families of Partanna, in which 30 people died. She also disclosed the names of the men who had killed her father and brother.
232:
Many people regard Rita as a heroine because of her willingness to sacrifice everything, including the affection of her mother (who after her daughter's death destroyed her tombstone with a hammer) in order to pursue justice. She grew from a desire for revenge for her losses to one for justice. Like
183:
Rita’s mother had Rita leave the family house when she found out that her daughter was collaborating with the police. She would not care that her daughter was trying to bring her own son's killer to justice; in her opinion – and the deep-rooted Mafia culture she belonged to – the police were on the
208:
turned to
Borsellino for emotional support. They referred to him as "Uncle Paolo" and called him whenever they needed him. In turn, he visited them whenever he was in Rome, even after their collaboration had ended. Borsellino used to pinch Rita on the cheek and poked fun at her tough, street-wise
195:
The evidence provided by Rita and Piera, together with further testimony, led to the arrest of various
Mafiosi and to the launch of an enquiry on politician Vincenzo Culicchia, who at the time had been mayor of Partanna for thirty years. Information obtained from Rosalba Triolo, a woman from the
273:
as Rita. Rita's family has condemned the film. Rita’s niece, Vita Maria Atria, and the Rita Atria Anti-Mafia
Association, complained that faces and voices in the 1997 documentary were not sufficiently altered as agreed, endangering her and her mother. In addition Amenta had not returned family
31:
240:
Rita wrote in her diary: "Before fighting the Mafia you must first examine your own conscience, and only after defeating the Mafia inside yourself can you fight the Mafia that's in your circle of friends. We ourselves and our wrong way of behaving is the Mafia."
160:, Sicily. In 1985, at the age of 11, she lost her father, Vito, a shepherd, who was shot dead by a hit man from a rival Mafia family. Her brother, Nicola, vowed to avenge his father and probably knew the identity of the person who had killed him.
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In
November 1991, at the age of 17, Rita decided to follow in her sister-in-law's footsteps, hoping to obtain justice for these murders from the legal system. The first person she gave her testimony to was magistrate
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rival Mafia factions in
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On July 25, 2008, Piera Aiello was nominated president of the anti-mafia association "Rita Atria".
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under witness protection, an apartment on the seventh floor of a building in the outskirts of
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After losing all kind of support and understanding from friends and family, both Rita and
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140:. She committed suicide in July 1992, a week after Cosa Nostra killed prosecutor
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458:"Movie Review: The Sicilian Girl (2009): An Angry Soul From a Hard Island"
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After her father's death, Rita became closer to her brother and his wife,
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Excellent
Cadavers. The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic
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216:. The assassination took place less than two months after colleague
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On July 19, 1992, Borsellino was killed when a car bomb exploded on
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Piera, Rita was not a former Mafia criminal turned informant (
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Mafia and Outlaw
Stories from Italian Life and Literature
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Mafia and Outlaw
Stories from Italian Life and Literature
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Mafia and Outlaw
Stories from Italian Life and Literature
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In 2007, Amenta reworked the documentary into the film
527:
Official site of the
Antimafia association Rita Atria
254:
One Girl Against the Mafia: Diary of a Sicilian Rebel
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Rita’s story was the subject of a 1997 documentary,
16:
Italian Mafia witness and investigation collaborator
390:"Italy anti-mafia film sparks anger with relatives"
184:wrong side of the law. Rita was then moved into a
256:("Diario di una siciliana ribelle"), directed by
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209:behavior, calling her a "mafiosa with a skirt."
1273:Sicilian brigandage and rebels (20th century)
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320:September 21, 1992. Accessed July 19, 2014.
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314:"Where talking is met with deadly silence"
89:Suicide after the murder of her protector
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1008:Grand Hotel et des Palmes Mafia meeting
489:, Toronto: University of Toronto Press
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992:List of Sicilian Mafia members by city
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1167:List of victims of the Sicilian Mafia
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284:List of victims of the Sicilian Mafia
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220:was also killed by Cosa Nostra near
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1362:People from the Province of Trapani
445:, Associazione antimafia Rita Atria
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354:Rita Atria – la sua storia in breve
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144:, with whom she had been working.
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1147:Direzione Investigativa Antimafia
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1049:Portella della Ginestra massacre
483:Pickering-Iazzi, Robin (2007).
100:Government witness against the
1079:Via Federico Pipitone massacre
987:List of Sicilian Mafia members
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269:("La siciliana ribelle") with
1:
1372:History of the Sicilian Mafia
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1377:Suicides by jumping in Italy
1221:Article 41-bis prison regime
1137:Italian Antimafia Commission
1132:Sangiorgi report (1898-1900)
474:"One Girl Against the Mafia"
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1183:1960s Sicilian Mafia trials
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129:[ˈriːtaˈaːtrja]
1194:Pizza Connection Trial
813:Caltanissetta Province
407:"Legge n. 45 del 2001"
125:Italian pronunciation:
1115:Via Palestro massacre
912:San Mauro Castelverde
152:Rita was born into a
1316:American Cosa Nostra
1231:Banda della Magliana
1226:Banda della Comasina
1211:American Cosa Nostra
1103:Via D'Amelio bombing
1061:Viale Lazio massacre
826:Vallelunga Pratameno
803:Campobello di Licata
798:Palma di Montechiaro
506:, New York: Vintage
171:Anti-mafia testimony
1073:Via Carini massacre
462:The New York Times,
271:Veronica D'Agostino
86:Cause of death
1326:Mafia bibliography
1288:Sacra Corona Unita
1091:Pizzolungo bombing
788:Sambuca di Sicilia
750:Agrigento Province
441:2009-08-30 at the
359:2009-09-07 at the
336:Excellent Cadavers
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1085:Train 904 bombing
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907:Belmonte Mezzagno
500:Stille, Alexander
419:Pickering-Iazzi,
372:Pickering-Iazzi,
312:Longrigg, Clare.
266:The Sicilian Girl
148:Family background
136:investigation in
118:
117:
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1382:Italian children
1152:State-Mafia Pact
1055:Ciaculli bombing
1030:Second Mafia War
940:Mazara del Vallo
922:Trapani Province
874:Palermo Province
763:Santa Elisabetta
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726:Cuntrera-Caruana
570:Chain of command
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318:The Independent,
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218:Giovanni Falcone
178:Paolo Borsellino
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91:Paolo Borsellino
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464:August 3, 2010
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97:Known for
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74:(aged 17)
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1256:Unione Corse
1042:and bombings
524:(in Italian)
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338:, pp. 325-26
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258:Marco Amenta
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214:Via D'Amelio
211:
206:Piera Aiello
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165:Piera Aiello
162:
154:Mafia family
151:
120:
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112:Piera Aiello
72:(1992-07-26)
70:26 July 1992
1357:1992 deaths
1347:1974 births
1303:Vendicatori
1283:'Ndrangheta
1241:Beati Paoli
1196:(1985–1986)
1190:(1986–1992)
1032:(1981–1984)
1026:(1962–1963)
864:Pagliarelli
854:Porta Nuova
619:Consigliere
615:(Sottocapo)
1341:Categories
1236:Basilischi
1188:Maxi Trial
1157:Addiopizzo
882:Camporeale
859:Brancaccio
741:Mandamenti
696:Corleonesi
658:Mandamento
628:Caporegime
624:Capodecina
577:Commission
476:, UNAFF 99
436:RITA ATRIA
290:References
186:safe house
121:Rita Atria
47:1974-09-04
35:Rita Atria
23:Rita Atria
1367:Antimafia
1125:Antimafia
1040:Massacres
961:Mistretta
836:Mussomeli
778:Cianciana
773:Canicattì
758:Agrigento
721:Inzerillo
636:(Soldier)
613:Underboss
108:Relatives
1001:Meetings
967:Siracusa
897:Bagheria
887:Corleone
731:Graviano
701:Galatolo
653:Made man
579:(Cupola)
502:(1995).
439:Archived
423:, p. 161
376:, p. 166
357:Archived
334:Stille,
278:See also
158:Partanna
55:Partanna
1263:Garduña
1246:Camorra
1204:Related
1162:Pentito
1141:members
980:Members
935:Trapani
846:Palermo
678:Pizzino
634:Soldato
394:Reuters
235:pentito
200:Suicide
80:, Italy
61:, Italy
1293:Stidda
1176:Trials
1117:(1993)
1111:(1993)
1105:(1992)
1099:(1992)
1093:(1985)
1087:(1984)
1081:(1983)
1075:(1982)
1069:(1982)
1063:(1969)
1057:(1963)
1051:(1947)
945:Alcamo
902:Trabia
892:Cinisi
783:Ribera
716:Motisi
711:Minore
663:Omertà
593:Family
510:
493:
228:Legacy
222:Capaci
138:Sicily
59:Sicily
954:Other
831:Riesi
706:Greco
688:Clans
673:Pizzo
668:Faida
597:Cosca
134:Mafia
1017:Wars
965:Sud
821:Gela
603:Boss
508:ISBN
491:ISBN
248:Film
190:Rome
78:Rome
67:Died
41:Born
156:in
1343::
460:,
450:^
392:,
381:^
343:^
325:^
316:,
297:^
260:.
57:,
1143:)
1139:(
630:)
626:(
609:)
605:(
599:)
595:(
555:e
548:t
541:v
409:.
123:(
49:)
45:(
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