Four years ago, a migrant committed suicide in a CPR in Turin, Italy. Moussa Balde had been transferred there after being assaulted by three Italian men on a street in Ventimiglia. Balde had said repeatedly that being at the CPR felt like a fully-fledged prison to him, and he had reportedly shown signs of psychological distress.

Now, a court has sentenced Annalisa S. -- the director of the CPR on behalf of the managing company Gepsa -- to one year in prison, suspended. The center's medical director was acquitted in the same trial.

Family awarded compensation

The family of Balde was awarded provisional compensation by the court, approximately 400,000 euros, payable jointly by the defendant and Gepsa. The young man's relatives had traveled to Turin several times to attend the hearings.

Damages were also awarded to the other civil parties in the law suit: the Association for Legal Studies on Immigration (ASGI), the Frantz Fanon Association -- which focuses on mental health protection, and the Turin municipal ombudsman for detainees.

"The Turin case shows that the CPR system and the administrative detention of migrants are a national disgrace," the political party Alliance of Greens and Left (AVS) said in a statement reacting to the ruling.

The lawyer who represented Balde's family praised the ruling as important. "I hope it will serve as a warning to those responsible for managing these facilities," said Gianluca Vitale. "Unfortunately, the state was excluded from the proceedings, even though it emerged that oversight by the competent authorities was virtually non-existent. However, I wish to stress that in this line of investigation the prosecution carried out excellent work."

What happened to Moussa Balde?

The case of Moussa Balde had led to outrage in Italy and beyond.

Three Italian man had violently attacked the young man from Guinea on the streets of Ventimiglia, northwestern Italy, in May 2021. While Balde was hospitalized, authorities discovered that he did not have valid residence documents. Although the victim of a violent assault, he was then sent to pre-deportation detention at a CPR in Turin. Two weeks later, he committed suicide.

At the center, he had been placed in isolation in an area known as the "infirmary." Accounts, reported by the Italian national newspaper based in Turin, La Stampa, as to exactly why he ended up in isolation appeared to contradict themselves during the trial.

However, one version suggested that other internees at the CPR believed Balde might have scabies, due to a visibile skin condition. It turned out he was affected by psoriasis, which is not contagious, but he was placed in the infirmary anyway. At a later point, it was suggested he may have been placed in isolation due to concerns about "public order", reported La Stampa, without giving more details, or evidence as to why the authorities may have made that decision.

Reports from non-governmental organizations have long described the premises as inadequate, alleging that detainees were in fact sent to isolation for disciplinary reasons or due to behavioral issues.

CPR in Turin 'looked like an old zoo'

"It looked to me like an old zoo," Mauro Palma, the former national ombudsman for detainees, testified in court.

Following months of protests, riots and fires at the Turin CPR, the center was closed in 2023. But it resumed operations under new management in May 2025, four years after Balde's death.

*Editor's note: If you are suffering from serious emotional strain or suicidal thoughts, do not hesitate to seek professional help. You can find information on where to find such help, no matter where you live in the world, at this website: https://www.befrienders.org/

In Italy, In emergencies, eg. urgent and specific suicidal thoughts, please contact the Italy Suicide Hotline: 800860022.