ATurin court has ruled that forcing asylum seekers to queue for days outside the Questura amounts to discrimination, ordering authorities to immediately overhaul the system.
The landmark judgment, likely to set a precedent across Italy, described the practice as imposing “demeaning conditions” with “discriminatory effects” on people seeking international protection.
Judge Andrea Natale’s decision responds to Italy’s first anti-discrimination class action to reach trial on the merits. The case was brought by 18 asylum seekers and ASGI (Association for Legal Studies on Immigration) against the Ministry of the Interior and Turin’s Questura.
Days-long queues for basic services
The case followed years of complaints and protests, which came to a head at the Questura’s former immigration offices in Corso Verona, where men and women of all ages — often with children — camped for days to renew residence permits.
